Over the Rainbow
by particularities
Summary: An accident at work sends Kyoko into a dreamworld populated by many familiar faces. You might just recognize a few...
1. Prelude to a Dream

I don't own Skip Beat! I do own some pocky, though. *crunch*

A note: I use honorifics because I feel that leaving them out takes something away from the story. I hope it doesn't bother anyone too much.

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**Chapter One - Prelude to a Dream**

A young woman walked down the street in a gloom. She dragged her feet on the pavement as a cloud of dark energy swirled around her.

"I can't believe the director scolded me again...it's not my fault Bo has such a bulky costume...it's so hard to move around in when the set gets all cluttered like it was today...how can he blame it on me..."

She mumbled to herself as she walked. Startled onlookers did their best to get out of her way. Though few could see it, dark spirits were gathered around the girl. They were whispering to each other, saying things like "Unreasonable" and "Totally unforgivable!"

Kyoko continued this way until she reached her home. The restaurant was crowded at this time of day. She put on the best face she could manage and walked into the bustling establishment. The kind taisho and okami who owned the restaurant were busy attending to customers when she entered. The okami spotted Kyoko over the crowd and greeted her.

"Kyoko-chan!" the okami called. "How was work today?"

Kyoko greeted the okami as politely as she could manage in the noisy room and told her that work had proceeded smoothly that day. She did not see any reason to bother the okami with her troubles when the restaurant was so full.

Something in her face must have given her away, however. The okami regarded Kyoko with concern.

"Are you tired?" the older lady asked, leaning in to get a better look at the young woman. "Why don't you go upstairs and rest?"

Kyoko jumped and waved a hand in a nervous way.

"Oh, I'm not tired. It wasn't a hard day. Are you sure you don't need any help?" Kyoko asked.

The okami smiled at Kyoko's obvious concern, though she hoped that there really had been nothing to distress the girl that day.

"Oh no, Kyoko-chan. It's so late, I think the rush is almost over. You should get some rest. It's not good for a young lady such as yourself to be out so late," the okami said kindly.

Kyoko thanked her for her consideration, bowing, and then made her way through the crowded room. The okami watched her go. She noted the careful way the young woman walked, evidently tired, but still maintaining her good posture. When Kyoko had disappeared up the stairs, the okami returned to the counter where her husband was working.

"She's a good girl," the okami said warmly. The taisho made a sound of agreement, but did not look up. The okami glanced at him and smiled.

Kyoko went slowly up the stairs. She was tired, for all that she told the okami she wasn't. But her haven was only a few feet away. She reached her bedroom door and pushed it open with a rush of relief.

"Hello," Kyoko said to the empty room, smiling in a way that would have made a person's heart stutter. There was no response from the room, but to Kyoko, the familiar sight was the warmest greeting she could have hoped for. Every last article, even the very conservative curtains, seemed to be crying, "Hello, Kyoko! Welcome home!"

"Hello Tsuruga-san, stupid Sho," Kyoko said as she walked past the posters of the two male celebrities that hung on her wall.

There was a table at the center of the room. Kyoko gladly dropped her bag beside it and sat down. She sighed.

She couldn't blame the director for getting angry with her, really. She was supposed to be a professional. He might've overreacted, but he didn't fire her or give her any punishments. In fact, if Kyoko hadn't known any better, she would've suspected that the director had yelled at her out of concern. It made her feel like a failure, somehow.

Absently, Kyoko reached into her bag and rifled around until she found a small handmade doll. It was fashioned in the image of her senpai, Tsuruga Ren, wearing a white suit and tie and an expression of mild disappointment.

"What do you think, Tsuruga-san?" she asked, holding the doll up so that it was level with her face.

She positioned one of the dolls arms so that it was pointing at her in an accusing way. Then she said, in her best impersonation of Ren's way of speaking:

"How can you say you're an actress with determination if you let a thing like this get you down? I don't like you at all this way."

Kyoko lowered the doll and sighed.

"You're right," she said. She was about to lift the doll up again when a buzzing noise from her bag made her body shake all over. Kyoko reached into the bag and pulled out the source of the commotion.

Her cell phone displayed a familiar number. Looking at it, Kyoko could not help the broad grin that spread across her face. She answered the phone as quickly as she could.

"Good evening, Moko-san!" Kyoko said brightly. The girl on the other end of the line cried out at this exuberant greeting.

"Mo! Not so loud!" Kanae said. Kyoko could not see it, but the other girl was holding her phone a good six inches from her ear.

"Oh, I'm sorry! What makes you call so late? How was your day?" Kyoko asked politely.

"I need your help. I got an offer for a remake of an old movie and I don't know if I should accept it," Kanae said. If she was a bit brusque, it was only because she was embarrassed to call her friend this late at night to ask for advice. It was so intimate.

"What movie?" Kyoko asked.

"An American one. It was made during the thirties. They say it's very famous, but I've never watched it. It's based on some novel. I asked if they had a script ready, but they said it was still being prepared. They offered me the book instead. I started to read it, but..." the other girl drifted off, her voice strange.

"What's wrong with it?" Kyoko asked, worried.

"It's not my taste," Kanae replied shortly, as if the idea of her liking such a thing was unthinkable. "The story starts on a farm in the middle of nowhere. The main character is a young girl who gets into trouble and finds herself spirited away to a kind of magical fantasy world. Frankly..." Kanae paused and let out a world-weary sigh. "Frankly, it's not the sort of thing I'm used to doing, but I don't want to give up on the offer before I know anything about it. What do you think? Kyoko?"

Kanae waited for an answer from the girl, but there was nothing. Puzzled, she tentatively repeated Kyoko's name and wondered if the connection was bad.

Kyoko, meanwhile, was lost in her thoughts. The mention of a magical fantasy world had sent Kyoko into her own mental reverie. She was imagining a world full of castles and wonderful adventures when Kanae, irritated by the silence, broke in:

"Mo! Are you listening?" Kyoko gave a start and bumped into the table before her.

"Moko-san, I'm sorry!" Kyoko said, rubbing the spot where she'd hit the table. "It's just, when I heard you say it was a magic world, I was a little distracted-"

"I can imagine it," Kanae said. "I don't suppose you heard the rest of what I said?"

"Ah, well..." Kyoko stammered, feeling stuck. A sudden recollection came to her rescue, and she said quickly, "You want to know if you should accept the role or not?"

"Yes, that's right," Kanae said, rather pleased that her friend had been listening after all. "What do you think?"

"Oh, well," Kyoko said, feeling flustered and happy to be able to give advice to her dear friend. "I don't see how you can really decide until you've read the script, or at least finished the book," Kyoko conceded.

"I was afraid so..." Kanae grumbled.

"But why did you want to ask me, Moko-san? You usually decide these things on your own," Kyoko said. Not that she minded the chance to bond with Kanae.

"That's just it," Kanae replied. "I don't have a lot of time to read the book, but thought you might be interested in it. Would you help me look through it?"

Kanae spoke lightly, hoping for a calm response, but it did not go as she hoped. A sudden squeal from the other end of the line caused the composed young woman to jump and nearly drop her phone. As she attempted to recover the cell, she could just make out her friend's enthused reply.

"Really, Moko-san? You want to read it together? Like classmates? We'll be just like friends in school, helping each other with our homework!" Kyoko said happily, a glowing smile playing across her face.

To her horror, Kanae found herself blushing.

"Whatever! Don't get all excited! I can imagine the stupid look you must have on your face right now! An entertainer should be more concerned about her appearance," Kanae lectured sternly, hoping she didn't have a stupid expression as well. "Just meet me at the Love Me section tomorrow! I'll be waiting. It's not like I'll have anything else to do, stupid newbie schedule..."

Kanae began to mumble to herself in an agitated way. Kyoko interrupted her worried rambling to say that she would stop by the Love Me section as soon as she could, and then they could go through the book until Kanae knew enough about the project to decide if she should accept or not. Kanae seemed placated by this. They said their good-byes and hung up.

Kyoko turned her phone off and put it away feeling refreshed. She prepared for bed, moving about the room while humming a happy tune. The idea of spending an afternoon reading next to Kanae had her floating on air.

But even more than that, Kyoko was relieved to know that she was not the only one who got discouraged about work. Even Tsuruga-san would understand, she thought. How little she knew...

Finally, she settled down to sleep feeling content. Tomorrow she would wake up and go to work, determined to do a good job. Thinking this, Kyoko closed her eyes with a smile and went to sleep.

She had no idea what was in store.

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You know how, when you really love a series, everything starts to remind you of it? This fic is the result of that peculiar phenomenon.  
Well, that's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I was able to finish it earlier than I thought, so I'm just a little proud of myself. The next chapter will be up in the next few days!


	2. An Ominous Meeting

All right, all you good boys and girls. Same disclaimers as last time: I don't own Skip Beat! and I use honorifics as a personal preference. I hope you enjoy the story. On with the show!

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**Chapter Two - An Ominous Meeting**

The next day was a pleasant one, for the most part. Kyoko felt full of energy when she woke up in the morning. She went to school in high spirits, much to the relief of the taisho and okami, and her schoolwork went smoothly.

As soon as Kyoko was free from all other engagements, she rushed to LME. She hurried to the Love Me room and her dear Moko-san. To her surprise, someone else was already there.

The president of LME, Lory Takarada, stood in middle of the Love Me room. Kanae was in front of him, looking as startled by his presence as Kyoko was. He was dressed as some sort of masked crusader, in an all-black costume that included a hat, a cape, and a saber.

Kanae spotted Kyoko in the doorway. Lory turned around to see what she was looking at. His face lit up when he saw Kyoko.

"Ah, Mogami-kun! Just the other person I wanted to see!" he greeted her enthusiastically. He stood aside so that Kyoko could enter the room. When both girls were standing before him, Lory beamed at them and said grandly, "Now, with both of you here, let me ask you: what requests have you fulfilled today on your quest to love and be loved by others?"

They both stared.

"There haven't been any requests today," Kanae said flatly.

Lory did not look happy with this answer. He looked sternly at them.

"B-but that's all right!" Kyoko said quickly. "We were just doing research for an offer that Moko-san received recently. So we're occupying our time very well, you see?"

She said this soothingly, as one might to a child who was threatening to throw a tantrum. Hearing her, Lory glanced at Kanae curiously.

"You received a new offer?" he asked. "What is it, may I ask?"

Kanae looked at him blankly for a moment before rattling off the name of the project. The title was in English, and Kyoko did not recognize the name. She looked at the president. Surely he would have heard of the it?

"Ah," he said. His face drooped a bit. "That's a very famous old film, isn't it? You must be excited to be part of a project with such an illustrious history, no?"

He spoke well, but to the two Love Me girls, he sounded disappointed. They wondered at this while Lory looked around with a sad expression. The answer came suddenly to Kanae, who leaned close to Kyoko.

"He just doesn't like that there's no romance in it," Kanae whispered. The younger girl looked at her, puzzled.

Lory made no sign that he heard Kanae, but turned away from them and sighed theatrically, his hands held behind his back.

"All of my Love Me members take on such plain roles," he said sadly. From the way he spoke, one might think that he was talking to himself, but his voice was just loud enough for Kyoko and Kanae to hear. They weren't fooled. Lory went on, lamenting, "None of them want to play in a romance. How will they ever graduate from the Love Me section if they never take an interest in love?"

Both girls stiffened at this. Unseen by them, the president was smiling. He knew by their silence that his words had had the desired effect.

"Ah, well, no matter. I'm sure it'll work out in the end," he said brightly, turning suddenly to look at the girls. "I know you'll both work very hard to impress your boss in the meantime, eh?"

His tone was cheerful and his face open, but Kyoko and Kanae had been at LME long enough to know that his was no idle remark. They both stood at full attention, the pressure of the President's authority weighing heavily on their minds, and cried, "Yes, sir!"

Lory leaned back and regarded them both. The reaction was more than he expected, but he could harldy say he was disappointed. He looked and them for a moment, and then a wicked grin played across his features.

"Ho," he said. "It's good to see you both so serious in your work. I'll be looking forward to seeing your progress."

He tipped his hat in farewell and went to the door, where he turned and added, in an ominous voice:

"And who knows? I might have some work for you myself, if no one else offers."

Lory grinned at the two of them, now looking at him in horror.

"See you," he called. He left the room with his cloak waving majestically behind him. His footman, who had been standing silently by the door unnoticed for the entire conversation, bowed at the girls, shocking them further. He did not attend to their reaction. He followed the president out of the room, carefully closing the door after him.

Kyoko and Kanae stared after him. They looked at each other, their faces a mirror image of shock.

"That was suspicious," Kanae said.

"Wasn't it though? It gave me chills for some reason," Kyoko said, shivering.

Kanae shook her head and frowned.

"We should get out of here," she advised. Kyoko looked up, distressed.

"But Moko-san, don't you have to give your answer about the film project soon? We have to go through the story and decide whether it's something you want to do!" Kyoko reminded. Kanae paused to consider this, then nodded.

"You're right. Let's get this over with," Kanae said, sighing.

They sat down by the table. Kanae took out the copy of the book that she had received from the manager of the Acting section, Matsushima, as well as a copy that she had managed to find at a nearby bookstore. She handed the second book to Kyoko.

Kanae would never admit it, but she had bought that copy specifically for Kyoko. There was no way she could walk out of the store without it once she'd seen the cover. She sat on the edge of her seat and waited to see how the girl would respond.

Kyoko took the book, thanking Kanae politely, and examined the cover. Her eyes immediately went wide and sparkly. Kanae went as stiff as a board.

The cover of the book bore a picture of a young girl, clad in a blue dress and a white pinafore, running in a field of golden grass with a small brown dog under a wide blue sky. The title, just above the image, was written in ornate English letters. It read:

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Kyoko looked up at Kanae and smiled serenely.

"It's so pretty, Moko-san! I'm sure the story must be beautiful, too," Kyoko said rapturously.

Kanae was drawn in by her friend's happy face despite her best efforts to remain indifferent. Still, she wanted to appear composed. She drew herself up and said, in an off-hand way, "Well, as long as you like it. Let's get started."

She opened her own book, hoping that would encourage Kyoko to do the same, and was relieved when the other girl followed suit.

They read in silence for some time, Kanae taking a deeper interest in the book than she would be willing to admit, and Kyoko eager to absorb as much of the story as she could for her friend's sake.

A noise in the hall roused them from of their story-world. As Kyoko was reading about the plight of the heroine and a terrible storm that was descending on the farm, the sound of footsteps attracted the attention of both girls. They looked up and glanced at the door. Kyoko could hear a bit of conversation:

"I don't want to intrude..." someone was saying.

"Just wait a minute, Ren, and I'll see if she's in," came the soothing response.

Kyoko shot out of her seat. A wave of panic crashed over her. Her book fell to her seat. Kanae looked up, startled.

How could she have forgotten? She had left a message on Tsuruga-san's phone the previous evening! She could hear herself now, blubbering nonsensically about terrible happenings and her abdication of her duty as an actress. He hadn't called back after that, so she'd gone home in a gloom, hating herself and her job. Then Moko-san had called, and she'd forgotten to call him back again!

What must he have thought when he heard that message? What if he'd tried to call her after that?

_He'll be so angry with me!_ Kyoko wailed in her thoughts, clutching her head. Kanae leaned back in her seat, not sure what was wrong with the girl before her.

_W-what is the matter with her?_ Kanae thought.

Thinking Kyoko must be responding to something in the story, Kanae looked dubiously at the copy of the book she was holding in her hand before glancing back at Kyoko.

There was a knock at the door. Hearing it, Kyoko's head snapped in the direction of the sound, making Kanae start.

_What'll I do? He's here!_ Kyoko agonized to herself.

There was a pause as whoever it was waited for a response. With a horrible jolt in her stomach, Kyoko realized how bad it would look if she failed to open the door to her senpai. She rushed correct this, but was just a moment too late. The knob was already turning. She heard someone saying, "Is no one in? Let's see-"

The speaker stopped abrubtly as the door met an obstruction. There was a loud _thunk_.

"Ah, what's this? Something's blocking the door..." Yashiro looked around the door to see what could be in the way. When he saw what was there, he froze.

"What's the matter, Yukihito-san?" Ren asked behind him. The taller man leaned in, trying to look into the room, but Yashiro was in the way.

"Ee-ehhh..." Yashiro said slowly, feeling guilt and a sense of impending doom.

Kyoko backed away from the door. Her eyes were vague and she stumbled, nearly toppling over. Behind her, Kanae had jumped out of her seat and was standing by the table, looking pale.

As soon as the door was clear, Yashiro pushed it open gently and rushed to the wobbling girl.

"Kyoko-chan, I'm sorry!" Yashiro cried. He stood beside her, not sure what to do. "Are you all right?"

The girl stepped away, feeling dizzy, and glanced back at the man before her.

"Does she look all right?" Kanae demanded. "Who told you to come barging in here-"

"Ehehehe..." Kyoko giggled, interrupting her frantic friend. She smiled at Yashiro, saying, "Hello, Yashiro-san..."

She moved to make a bow, but this was a bad choice. The motion caused her to lose her balance, and she teetered forward. Yashiro tried to catch her, but Kyoko corrected herself at the last moment, sending herself backward instead.

As she fell, Kyoko looked up in a daze and saw the anxious face of Yashiro. Just behind him, manuevering around the now open door, was Ren. The young man's face was a picture of shock. He took in the scene before him and his eyes went wide.

The last thing Kyoko remembered, before her head hit the floor, was Ren's anxious face coming nearer, and a voice calling, "Mogami-san!"

* * *

That's right, our intrepid heroine gets sent on her way by a knock on the head, courtesy of a door. If it seems a bit...anticlimactic, I apologize.  
Bonus points to anyone who can guess what Lory's costume might be.  
Next chapter will be up sometime this weekend!


	3. Witches and Fairies

At last, we reach the legendary land over the rainbow. The fun's just getting started!  
I'd like to thank everyone who has read the story so far. I'm especially grateful to those who have reviewed the story or added it to their watch list. You've all been so supportive, how could I do anything but get you the next installment as soon as possible? Enjoy!

Disclaimers: I trust by now that you know that I don't own Skip Beat! and that I use honorifics as a personal preference. With that in mind, I'm going omit them from future updates, unless someone really minds. If not, let's proceed...

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**Chapter Three - Witches and Fairies**

Kyoko awoke with a terrible headache. She felt like she'd hit her head. Slowly, she opened her eyes and sat up. What she saw was a surprise. Kyoko blinked and rubbed her eyes, but her vision did not change.

"What is this? Where am I?" she asked. She looked at herself: she was dressed in a blue gingham dress with short white sleeves. It was like the dress a character in a fairy tale would wear. The thought made Kyoko happy, but she was not sure why she was wearing it.

"Am I on set? Is this a costume?" Kyoko asked herself aloud. A terrible feeling came over her; what if she was on set? What had happened to her? How could she have fallen asleep while she was supposed to be working?

She stood up and looked around. The room she was in was small, old-fashioned, and appeared to be western-style. There were white curtains in the window, and the bed she'd been resting on was made neatly. The furniture was plain but well made; it reminded Kyoko of her bedroom back at the restaurant.

"This looks like something out an old movie..." Kyoko said uncertainly. It was familiar somehow, but she could not quite place it.

Not knowing what else to do, Kyoko wandered out of the room. Unknown to her, a little whiff of dark smoke followed after, saying, "Don't leave me, master!"

The bedroom was part of a house, which further surprised Kyoko. She had assumed it was part of a set.

Curious as well as afraid now, Kyoko walked through the house until she came to the front door. This she opened carefully, afraid of what she might find. She looked outside. What she saw was so startling that she threw open the door and stepped outside.

It was like a fairy tale. Little houses lined a central square of sorts. The square was paved in several colors of stone, giving it the appearance of a spiral. The house behind Kyoko seemed out of place, as if it had been dropped into the square from above.

"What is this place?" Kyoko marveled. Already her head was filled with visions of fairies and magic. She clasped her hands together and sighed happily. "It's like a dream!"

She danced into the square and twirled around, laughing happily.

"What on earth are you doing?" someone asked from behind her.

Kyoko whirled around and found an elegant young lady standing in the center of the square. The woman had long black hair and was wearing a fluffy pink dress. On her head was a tall crown; in her hand a silver wand with a star at the end. It was a very nice image, but the woman did not seem very happy to be there.

"You've scared away the Munchkins," Kanae pointed out.

"Moko-san! You're here too!" Kyoko called joyfully. She tried to hug her friend, but Kanae raised her wand and turned away.

"Of course I'm here. Where else would I be? But you should know that 'Moko' is not a proper name for a fairy. I have a reputation to maintain, you know," Kanae said stiffly.

Kyoko stood very still, and her eyes went wide.

"A fairy?" Kyoko asked. She stared reverently at Kanae, who took a step back.

"Er, yeah. Look, don't get too excited about it, okay? This is only temporary. It's just part of the job," Kanae said, hoping to stop Kyoko looking at her in that creepy, wide-eyed way.

"Oh," Kyoko said. She sounded a little disappointed. A sad look crept over her face. Feeling responsible, Kanae tried to distract the girl.

"Hey," Kanae said quickly. "Don't you want to know why I'm here? Don't you know what you've just done?"

Kyoko looked up. "What's that, Moko-san?" she asked.

"Geez, you mean you have no idea?" Kanae said, frowning. When Kyoko shook her head, Kanae went on in an excited way, saying, "You dropped a house on the Wicked Witch of the East! Look!"

She used her wand to point at the house Kyoko had just stepped out of. It was defintely out of place in the square; its foundation was cracked, and several boards had split. It must have fallen from a great height. Kyoko stared at it, shocked.

"I did that?" Kyoko said in awe. Kanae nodded, looking exasperated. Kyoko's hands flew to her face. "Oh no!" she cried. "What have I done! I dropped a house in the middle of someone's town!"

While she was a little confused as to how she had managed to do it, Kyoko was preoccupied by the distress she felt. Then she remembered what Kanae had just said, and she felt even worse.

"It fell on somebody? Are they okay?" Kyoko asked desperately. Kanae looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean, 'okay'? Who cares if they're okay? I told you they were wicked!" Kanae explained.

"Still..." Kyoko began guiltily. She was interrupted by Kanae, who was glancing around with interest.

"Speaking of that guy, I wonder where he is?" Kanae said. "The Munchkins said the house landed right on him."

Kyoko looked at Kanae. "Him? But I thought you said it was a witch?" Kyoko said, bemused. Kanae paid her no mind.

"Yeah, but this guy's a special case," Kanae went on, still looking about the square. "He dressed like a girl, so people mistook him for one. By the time we all learned the truth, the name had stuck. So he's a witch."

A feeling of doubt came over Kyoko.

"You said...a guy who dresses like a girl...and is wicked..." Kyoko said carefully.

"Long time no see, Kyoko," a careless voice drawled in her ear.

Reino was suddenly standing beside them. He was dressed in an all-black ensemble. For some reason, his clothes were dusty. Kanae seemed startled by his sudden appearance; Kyoko stared at him in horror.

"What are you supposed to be?" Kyoko asked, though she felt she already knew the answer.

"I'm the Witch of the East," Reino said. "It might be better to call me a wizard, though. But I'm definitely wicked."

He grinned as he spoke, sending a chill down Kyoko's spine.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead! I dropped a house on you!" Kyoko shrieked, pointing at the wreckage behind Reino. There was a space underneath, between two cracked boards, with footprints around it.

Reino looked around to see what she was talking about. When he saw the house, he made a dismissive sound and turned away.

"That? That's not enough to kill me," he said.

Kyoko stared at him in shock.

"You, you admit it! You're a demon!" she accused. She felt in her pocket and was relieved to find a small purse there. She had not been sure it would be there. "It's a good thing I have this talisman against evil with me!" She took Corn out of the purse and held it out triumphantly.

"I thought I told you to get rid of this thing," said Reino. He was standing before her, examining the stone in one hand. Kyoko let out a squawk of surprise; she hadn't seen him move. It was only a moment, however, before she realized he'd taken the stone. She jumped at Reino and tried to grab the stone from him. He held it out of her reach and didn't even try to fend her off. She clawed desperately at his arm.

"Give it back! I'll tell Tsuruga-san!"

Reino froze. For a moment he stared off into space, as if he was imagining Ren descending upon him sometime in the future.

"On second thought, I think I'll go back under house after all," Reino said abrubtly. He worked loose of Kyoko and tossed the stone back at her. Kyoko caught it with both hands. Her fingers fumbled with the catch of the little purse as she put the stone away.

She looked up to yell at Reino, but he was already climbing under the space beneath the house. Seeing her watching, he paused with his hand on the split frame and pointed at the purse in her hands.

"But I'm telling you, Kyoko, that stone is filled with bad energy. You should have it clea-" he began.

"Shut up!" Kyoko shouted, pointing at Reino. "I don't want advice from an evil guy like you! Dead people should be quiet!"

"I'm not dead..."

Before Kyoko could respond, a cold voice interrupted from behind her.

"Are you two done? I've been here this whole time, you know."

Kyoko gasped and spun around. Kanae was standing with her arms crossed, idly tapping her wand against her elbow as she waited. Her face was stern. Kyoko flew at the girl, crying and chattering desperately.

"Moko-san! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to ignore you! It's just that that Beagle guy came and started trying to pick a fight with me! And then he took Corn!" Kyoko said in a rush.

"Ah, whatever! You got your stone back, so stop touching me! You're making a scene!" Kanae struggled to get free.

Before she could extricate herself from Kyoko's grip, however, a voice called to them from above:

"What's this? Some kind of comedy routine? Are you into that sort of thing now, Kyoko?"

The girls froze and looked up. A person was hovering just over their heads on a broomstick. Kyoko and Kanae watched as the broom and its rider descended. Kyoko grimaced when she saw the face of the rider. She immediately recognized the short blonde hair, the smug, eternally self-satisfied look. Rage bubbled up unbidden from some place deep in her heart. The little cloud of smoke that was following her, quiet up to that point, began to swirl around Kyoko, screeching, "You! Enemy of my heart!"

Kanae recognized him as well. Her expression was flat as she turned to Kyoko and said, "Another guy who dresses way too flashy. He's from the west. They call him the Wicked Witch of the West. Not that he's any good at being a witch. More like he uses other people's magic to get what he wants."

Sho heard this and glared.

"Hey!" he cried. He pointed at the broom. "I'm using this, aren't I? I couldn't do that without talent of my own!"

Kanae didn't seem fazed. She looked at the broom, then back to Sho, and looked unimpressed.

"Sorry," Kanae said insincerely. "My mistake."

She turned to Kyoko and whispered, "I still don't think he's worth the hype."

"I heard that!" Sho cried.

Kyoko did not hear any of this. She was glaring at Sho with a far-away look in her eyes. Kanae tried to get her attention, first speaking to her, then waving a hand in her face. Nothing worked. Kyoko was in a world of her own, her mind filled with hatred for Sho. The little spirit, though invisible to all, must have known what Kyoko what thinking. It circled her, shouting at odd intervals, things like "Yeah!" and "Revenge!" and "He must know a pain equal to our own!"

Finally, Kyoko could not hold her thoughts in any longer, and she cried, "First that Beagle, and now you!"

The air grew quiet. Kyoko, realizing she'd spoken out loud, slowly looked around in apprehension. Kanae was watching her curiously. Sho, to Kyoko's horror, was glaring at her intently.

* * *

Dun dun DUN! What will happen? How will the witch react to this revelation?  
You'll just have to wait and see.  
On an aside, I'd like to note that Mystic Rains correctly guessed Lory's secret identity: Zorro. I should have a scene where Lory gets to play the hero, eh? Nice job ;)


	4. Follow the Yellow Brick Road

*like a ninja*

All right, let's see how fast you notice this update...muhahaha...

* * *

**Chapter Four - Follow the Yellow Brick Road**

"Beagle?" Sho repeated. His voice was low. He and Kyoko locked eyes and stared at one another. Kanae watched them, not sure if she should interfere or leave them be. When Kyoko said nothing, Sho narrowed his eyes at her.

"What was that guy doing here?" he said darkly.

"He tried to take Corn-" Kyoko began, and stopped. She wished she hadn't spoken.

Sho looked at her. His expression turned dark.

"Corn? What's that?" he asked sharply.

"I'm not telling you!" Kyoko snapped.

Just then, a small sound came from under the fallen house.

"If you won't, I will," Reino said, his voice muffled by the house above him.

Kyoko whipped around to face the house.

"Don't you dare!" she cried. Sho turned to look at the house, puzzled by the voice, but determined to know what Kyoko was hiding from him.

"Tell me what? What is Corn?" he asked loudly, hoping the voice would hear.

"It's this blue stone she carries with her," Reino called back. "She's had it for a long time. It's full of twisted energy. I've told her to get it cleansed, but she won't listen to me. It was given to her by Tsu-"

"What! You never told me you had something like that! Let me see!" Sho interrupted Reino to yell at Kyoko.

Kyoko glared and held the purse containing Corn behind her back.

"It's none of your business! Why should I let you see?" she demanded. This only made Sho angrier. He saw her try to hide the purse behind her back and reached around her for it.

"Why is it so important to you? Let me see!" he said, struggling to take the little purse.

Kyoko held it out of his grasp, but since he was taller and had longer arms, she was as a disadvantage. Still, she put up a good fight.

"No!" she cried. "Why should I let you see it, of all people?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sho said. "Besides, what's yours is mine. I want to know what's so special about this thing. How come that guy knows about it and I don't?"

He tried to get the purse by reaching his other arm around her back while using the other to keep her from moving away.

"No way! You're just stupid Sho!" Kyoko said as she struggled to keep the stone away from him.

"What does that mean? Take it back!" Sho cried.

"HEY!"

They paused, still entangled around one another, and looked to where Kanae stood watching them.

"If you two are done, I have other places to be today," Kanae said icily. She turned to regard Kyoko, who stiffened. "Now, do you want to know how to get home or not? I don't have all day."

Kyoko pushed Sho, who looked shocked at her sudden assertiveness, and ran toward Kanae.

"I do! I want to go home!" Kyoko cried, flinging herself at Kanae ineffectively. The other girl dodged and stood regaly, holding her wand at her side. Kyoko went on despite the failure, crying, "You can't leave until you tell me how to get back, Moko-san! What if we never see each other again?"

Unbeknownst to Kyoko, her words had a great impact on Kanae. The elegant young woman would never admit it, but her friendship with the outgoing girl meant quite a lot to Kanae.

Nonetheless, Kanae drew herself up and said, in as lofty a manner as she could manage, "Well, all right then. But I'll only tell you once. Whether you can do it is up to you."

She said it well, but her high manner suffered a bit when she saw the teary look on her best friend's face.

"Oh, Moko-san! Thank you so much!" Kyoko said. "You're the greatest friend I could ever ask for!"

This last sentence was too much. Kanae's heart, defenseless against Kyoko's words, shorted-out from such praise. Kanae stood in silence, her face blank. It was the best she could manage not to grin stupidly.

While she was immobilized, Sho rallied his nerves and pushed his way between Kyoko and Kanae.

"We're busy here," Sho said to the motionless fairy. "Why don't you fly away, little fairy?"

Both Kanae and Kyoko snapped out of their friendly reverie and turned a cold eye on Sho. He froze under their gaze. Kanae regained her composed demeanor and addressed Sho, waving her wand as she spoke.

"Go away. You have no power here," Kanae said. She put a hand on her hip and tilted her head to regard him with a disdained look. "Why don't you get lost before somebody drops a house on you, too?"

Sho took a step back. He glanced at Kyoko. Seeing she was glaring at him, too, he snorted and turned away, swinging his broom around with him.

"Hmph! I just came because I heard a lot of noise! I won't make the mistake of being concerned about you again," Sho sneered.

He reached into his pocket and took out a handful of green powder. He held this aloft, looking at Kyoko as he did so. He said, as confidently as he could, "This isn't over, Kyoko! I'll find your secret out sooner or later, you'll see!"

He tossed the powder on the ground, where it exploded into a cloud of green smoke. Everyone drew back and covered their faces.

Through the sound of the flames there came a sound like someone coughing, and Kanae could have sworn she heard someone mutter, "Geez, Shoko, what is this stuff?"

The smoke and flames cleared away. There was no trace of the witch. Kyoko and Kanae looked at each other.

"Well, he certainly knows how to make an exit," Kanae said lightly.

Kyoko glanced back at the place where Sho had been. The air was hazy with little swirls of smoke.

"What do we now, Moko-san?" Kyoko asked uncertainly.

"Huh. With that idiot around..." Kanae paused to think, and then her eyes lit up as she thought of something. "I know! You'll have to see the wizard. He can help you. He's a little weird, but who isn't, in this place?"

"The wizard?" said Kyoko. "Can he help?"

"Yes. He lives in that ridiculous green city," Kanae said, snorting. "It's a bit far, but it's easy enough to get there. Do you want to know how?"

Kyoko nodded furiously, feeling excited. First a fairy, now a wizard!

"All you have to do is follow the yellow brick road," Kanae said.

"What yellow brick road?" Kyoko asked, puzzled.

"What-! You're standing on it!" Kanae snapped. She gestured at the ground at Kyoko's feet with her wand.

Kyoko looked down and saw that she was standing at the center of a pattern of colored stone. There was a stripe of yellow at the center that spiraled outward. Kyoko followed the path with her eyes and found that the yellow stones formed a road that led out of the square and through the town.

"Oh," she said. She was silent for a moment. Then she looked up at Kanae and said, "So I follow this road to get to the wizard? Doesn't he have a cell or something?"

Kanae frowned. "A what?" she asked. Kyoko sighed.

"Nevermind," Kyoko said. "Are you coming with me to see the wizard?"

"No! Didn't you hear me? I have things to do today!" Kanae said. She froze when she saw the crushed look on her friend's face. ""But it's fine! I'll see you after that, so don't make that face."

Kyoko perked up immediately.

"Really, Moko-san?" Kyoko said, clasping her hands together and looking at Kanae in a way that can only be described as 'gleaming'. Kanae leaned back. That face was creepy, she felt.

"Geez! Just follow the yellow brick road! I'm leaving!" Kanae cried, holding her wand aloft in a meaning way.

"Ah, already?" Kyoko said.

"Yes, already!" Kanae replied. She waved her wand and was surrounded by a ball of light. The light began to fade, and as it did, Kanae called back, "Just follow the stupid road!"

Kyoko watched Kanae vanish. Then she was alone. She glanced around at the houses, where she could see tiny faces peeking fearfully out of windows and around cracked doors.

They don't need to be so afraid, Kyoko thought.

She thought of her friend and sighed. It would be lonely on her own, but she had seen a real fairy! Kyoko giggled at the thought. At the sound, there came alarmed chatterings from the onlookers. Doors slammed shut and curtains swished closed. Kyoko looked around and shook her head.

"I'd better leave before they try to chase me away," Kyoko said to herself. She stepped onto the yellow road and started her journey.

* * *

Whew. Four chapters already! Thank you all for your support. It's very encouraging. And your reviews are so fun to read, too! Some of you have commented that the story has really sparked your imagination, and I love it. That's what fic is all about, isn't it? I hope the story continues to be entertaining for you.


	5. The Scarecrow

For all the good boys and girls: a new chapter!  
So many of you have had some excellent ideas about who should play which characters. I almost feel like it should be one of you writing the story, instead of me. I just hope you're pleasantly surprised by what's coming up. Thanks for all of your support!

* * *

**Chapter Five - The Scarecrow**

Kyoko had not been walking long when she came to a fork in the road. She stopped and looked around. There was nothing but fields of corn on all sides. There were no signs telling her which way to go. She saw a scarecrow on a pole in the field to her right, but nothing else. It seemed there were no people around for miles.

"Now where am I supposed to go?" Kyoko asked aloud. The little spirit hovered uncertainly around her, mumbling, "I don't know, master. I'm sorry."

But Kyoko didn't hear the little spirit; she turned round and examined each of the three paths before her.

"Which is best?" she asked herself fretfully.

A voice called to her from somewhere nearby, "That way is very nice."

Kyoko gave a start and spun around to where she thought she'd heard the voice. She found herself looking at the scarecrow. It had one arm pointing to the left path, but Kyoko was too frightened to notice this.

"Is someone there?" Kyoko called nervously. She almost expected someone to step out from behind the scarecrow. It was certainly big enough for someone to hide behind. Kyoko examined it in some trepidation. Despite her fear, she was able to observe that it was very odd, for a scarecrow.

It was dressed the way many scarecrows are, in a long-sleeved shirt and denim overalls, with little bits of straw poking out at the seams. Despite this humble outfit, its clothes were immaculately clean. A straw hat had been arranged on its head. What made it odd was a pair of dark glasses that obscured its face. Kyoko found this strange. A scarecrow with a secret identity?

As she stared, the scarecrow suddenly came to life. Kyoko jumped back. The scarecrow lifted one arm to point at the path to the right and said, "That's a pleasant way, too."

Kyoko did not know what to say. She looked around, hoping to find a puppeteer of some sort. Scarecrows couldn't talk and move on their own, could they?

With a rustle of straw, the scarecrow crossed his arms so that they were pointing in both directions and said, "But people do go both ways sometimes."

She stared at the figure in the corn. Slowly, she said, "Did you really speak just now?"

The scarecrow nodded, then shook his head. Kyoko made a face, and the little spirit pricked up like a dog that had caught a scent.

"Are you doing that on purpose," Kyoko said angrily, "or can't you make up your mind?"

With a smile - another thing Kyoko thought a scarecrow shouldn't be able to do - that was truly dazzling, the scarecrow said, in a self-deprecating way, "That's the trouble. I can't make up my mind. I haven't any brains."

Despite her anger, Kyoko felt sorry for the scarecrow.

"Oh, I'm sure that isn't true!" she cried. "Why, if you had no brains, how could you talk, then?"

But the scarecrow only looked sad and said, "I don't know, but some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?"

Kyoko paused. "I guess you're right..." she said slowly. The scarecrow did not reply. Conscious of the silence, Kyoko stepped closer to get a better look at the scarecrow's face, and was very surprised by what she saw.

"Tsuruga-san! What are you doing up there?" Kyoko cried.

"Don't mind that just now, Mogami-san. You should follow the story," Ren admonished. _It's really uncomfortable up here_, he added to himself.

"Story?" Kyoko asked, bewildered.

The scarecrow smiled gently at her.

"That's right," he said. "Don't you remember? We haven't properly met each other, have we?"

Kyoko gasped. "Tsuruga-san, you're right! I'm so sorry! How could I neglect proper etiquette at such a time, with you of all people! How can you ever forgive me?" Kyoko chastised herself, kneeling in the dirt at the scarecrow's feet.

"Mogami-san, you don't need to..." Ren tried, but it was no use. He could not even see her face, stuck on the pole as he was. He sighed. "Mogami-san, you don't need to beg forgiveness, but we should really get back to the story."

Kyoko peeked up from where she knelt in the cornfield. There was a smudge of dirt on her cheek. "How should we do that?" she asked.

Ren shifted uncomfortably, causing straw to flutter to the ground.

"To begin with," he said, "if I can get down from here, we can talk properly."

He struggled, but it was no use. He felt rather weak. Seeing his trouble, Kyoko hurriedly stood up and began to fuss over him, saying, "Let me help you, Tsuruga-san!"

"That's very kind of you," Ren replied.

It was a little awkward, since Ren's position on the pole put Kyoko's head around his waist, but Ren did his best to ignore it. Kyoko seemed to be having a trouble, so Ren said, in a nonchalant way, "Of course, I don't know much about this sort of thing, but I think there's a nail in the back, and if you bend it I might-"

As he spoke, Kyoko found the nail and bent it as Ren instructed. The next moment was a blur. Ren slipped off the pole abrubtly and fell to the ground. He spread his arms to catch himself and landed over Kyoko. She blinked up at him, surprised, but without a trace of fear in her eyes.

"Tsuruga-san, are you all right?" Kyoko asked. She was somewhat concerned when Ren did not respond. He loomed over her, a strange expression on his face.

_Steady now_, he thought. _She doesn't realize the danger in this situation_...

"Yes, I'm fine, Mogami-san," Ren said finally. He got up carefully and helped Kyoko to her feet.

"Oh, good," Kyoko said. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt because of me."

Ren was silent. He was not sure if he should be happy about her words. Kyoko seemed oblivious to the effect her statement had on him.

"And are you all right?" he asked after a pause.

Kyoko nodded her head furiously.

"Of course!" she said quickly. "I know you would never do anything to hurt me, Tsuruga-san!"

Her words conveyed the utmost trust and respect. But there seemed to be nothing more. Ren sighed.

"I didn't think so," he said.

Their attention was drawn by a row of crows sitting on a nearby fence. The birds cawed and scolded the pair. Kyoko and Ren watched them with interest.

"They don't seem to want to get any closer, do they?" Kyoko observed.

"No, they usually don't," Ren said. "They're afraid of me for some reason."

Kyoko glanced at Ren, who was staring at the crows. He looked a little too innocent. _He acts like he has no idea_...she thought. But then she thought of something.

"Um...Tsuruga-san..." Kyoko said quietly. Ren turned to look at her.

"What is it, Mogami-san?" he asked.

"Well, it's just..." Kyoko faltered.

"Is there a problem?" he coaxed her.

Kyoko looked down and fidgeted nervously.

"It's just that you don't seem like the scarecrow type...you're more like...like...the Witch of the West, or the Wizard..." she stammered anxiously.

"Why is that, Mogami-san? Do I frighten you?"

"N-no! Not really!" Kyoko said hurriedly. She looked up as she spoke, and when she saw Ren watching her, she felt self-conscious and looked down again. "Well, sort of..." she mumbled.

_I was afraid of that_, Ren thought. He sighed.

When Kyoko heard him, she quickly turned her head up to face him.

"But that's not what I meant!" she said frantically. "I just meant that you seem like someone more important than the scarecrow...but that isn't to say you're unimportant as you are! Just that you aren't really what I imagined...ah! But I don't think you're unfit for your role! Ah, what should I say?"

Kyoko clutched her head and swayed, stuck trying to figure out what she should tell Ren. The scarecrow watched her and shook his head.

"I think I understand what you're saying, Mogami-san," Ren said. He put on his best smile to try to comfort her. "But you shouldn't worry about that. Don't you have someplace you need to go?"

Kyoko gave a start. She looked up at Ren, her eyes urgent.

"Oh, you're right! I have to find the wizard!" she cried. She hesitated, then said shyly, "I don't suppose you know the way to the wizard's city?"

Ren stared blankly at her. He couldn't help being drawn to her, especially when she made such a face. But she was looking up at him expectantly, and Ren knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything without scaring her; at least, he was afraid he would. He steeled himself and spoke calmly.

"Of course, Mogami-san. But surely you don't mean to go alone?"

Kyoko waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, there's nothing to worry about. Kanae said all I had to do was follow the road. Besides, that demon Beagle is already out of the way, and there's nothing that stupid Sho could do to hurt me. Right, Tsuruga-san? Tsuruga-san?"

She repeated his name, but Ren did not respond.

* * *

Oh, Kyoko. That's twice in one day now. You really need to figure out that some of the men in your life do not respond well to certain things.  
On another note: this whole thing got started about a week ago when I was reading Skip Beat! while my mother watched The Wizard of Oz on TV. Just around the time I was reading a scene where Ren teases Kyoko, the scarecrow arrived on the scene. I found myself thinking that the scarecrow's self-deprecating dialogue and his round-about way of speaking were remarkably similar to Ren's.  
So in a way, this is all Ren's fault.


	6. Apples

Oh my. Some of you really had your hearts set on Ren being the tin man. Though I did consider it, I eventually decided that Ren doesn't need a heart so much as he needs to get a clue. There's a reason Yashiro calls him the Love Idiot, after all.

That aside, let's get back to Kyoko, who is in trouble again.

* * *

**Chapter Six - Apples**

For a moment Ren was silent. Then he clenched his fists and said quietly, "You saw that stalker again? And Fuwa?"

Kyoko felt as if her blood had gone cold. Ren was looking at her with eyes that spoke of danger and violence. Around her, the little spirit-Kyoko swirled in a frenzy of delight, saying, "Master, look! Such dark energy, truly this is the source of all ill feeling!"

Kyoko's legs quivered. She had to resist the urge to turn around and run for cover. Why was Tsuruga-san getting angry, too? She put her hands up, shaking, and waved them desperately.

"It's okay!" Kyoko said hastily. "The Beagle is under a house right now, and Moko-san sent that stupid Sho away, so I probably won't hear from either of them ever again! Really!"

She spoke pleadingly, and Ren relaxed. Maybe it was her comment about Reino being under a house, but Ren found it hard to be serious at that moment. More likely, Ren knew he would not get any more information from Kyoko about her earlier encounters if she was afraid of how he would take it. He composed himself and said, in his more gentleman-like manner, "If you're going to the city, Mogami-san, maybe I should show you the way? It's a long way for a young girl to go by herself."

"But I can't let you do that, Tsuruga-san! There's nothing in it for you!" Kyoko protested.

If Ren was disappointed by her immediate refusal, he did not show it. He pointed at the now-empty pole that stood in the corn field.

"It's not as if I have anything better to do, Mogami-san," Ren said.

"When you put it that way..." Kyoko reflected. She still sounded doubtful. Then her face lit up and she beamed at him. "Maybe you can ask the wizard for something, too, Tsuruga-san!"

Ren's smile did not falter, but he said only, "There is nothing I could ask for at this point."

Kyoko frowned. "Nothing?" she asked. Ren nodded.

"I'm happy as I am, Mogami-san," he explained. Kyoko bit her lip and looked torn.

"But still, if you could have anything-" she began. Ren interrupted her before she could finish.

"There is nothing I could ask for at this point, Mogami-san," he repeated firmly. There was something sad in his expression as he said it. Kyoko saw this and frowned. Realizing he'd been too harsh, he added kindly, "And to be honest, doesn't this wizard sound a little too good to be true? I wonder if he's all he seems."

_I wouldn't go to him if my life depended on it_, thought Ren. _God knows what he'd ask in return_.

Thinking this, he realized what danger Kyoko was in. He was very anxious to see she made it, not only into the city, but back out again as well.

His words had little impact on Kyoko.

"Oh, but Moko-san said he could help, so I'm sure it'll work out in the end," Kyoko said fervently. A blissful look came over her as she spoke of Kanae. "In fact, it has to work out in the end, because Moko-san is a fairy! I'm sure I'll have all sorts of good fortune after seeing her today. I feel so lucky!"

She put a hand to her face, grinning widely, and giggled happily. Watching her, Ren was caught between the desire to hold her tight and the concern that arose when he thought about this girl attempting to go all the way down the road by herself.

_I don't see how they could let her come all this way alone to begin with_, Ren thought. _It's not that she's incapable, but when I see her like this_...

They were both lost in their thoughts when a strange noise attracted their attention. They looked at each other. When the noise persisted, Ren glanced around to see where it could be coming from. Kyoko looked stricken; it was a rumbling sound, like goro-goro-goro. It was her own stomach.

"What is that noise, you think?" Ren asked her. Kyoko fixed her eyes on the ground.

"Oh, I don't..." Kyoko stammered, trying to think of an excuse. "It's probably nothing, just a bird or something..."

But it was too late. Ren looked down at her as she spoke, and as he listened to her, he realized the sound was coming from her.

"Are you hungry, Mogami-san?" he asked, sounding surprised.

Embarrassed, Kyoko nodded.

"A little..." she admitted. "I mean, it's not a big deal, nothing to worry about..." she mumbled, twiddling her thumbs absently as she spoke. It made sense that she was hungry; she had been walking for some time now. But she could not quite bring herself to look at Ren.

"I know a place nearby where we might be able to find something," Ren mused. "It's just down the road. I can take you there - that is, if you'll allow me to?" He put on his best pleading look and said, "Won't you take me along?"

The earnest tone in his voice made Kyoko steady her hands and look up at him. This may have been a mistake. Her willpower instantly crumbled. Looking into her eyes in a way that no grown person - let alone a scarecrow - should be capable of, Ren captured her sympathies just like an abandoned puppy pleading for someone to take it home. She felt guilty for even thinking of refusing him.

"O-of course I will," Kyoko quavered. "It w-would be my...my pleasure..."

She blushed as she spoke, and Ren, feeling victorious, gave her a dizzying smile. Just seeing it made Kyoko's knees weak. Ren bowed graciously and then, drawing himself up to his full height, offered her his arm.

"Shall we?" he asked, still smiling.

"Sure..." Kyoko said vaguely, wobbling like a jellyfish that washed up on the shore. She took his arm without really noticing what she was doing and allowed Ren to lead the way down the road.

They walked down the road in silence for some time, Kyoko bobbing along in a kind of daze while Ren progressed somewhat more gracefully, before Ren realized he should try to make conversation.

"So, Mogami-san. Why are you journeying to the wizard's city?" he asked, smiling in a way that he hoped would encourage the girl beside him to be forthcoming.

"Oh!" Kyoko said, waking up a little. "Well, actually, it's because, because...because..."

She trailed off, sounding confused. Ren frowned.

"Mogami-san, could it be...you don't know what you're going there for?" Ren asked. He hoped very much that he was wrong.

"Well..." Kyoko began slowly. She looked up at Ren and grinned sheepishly. "I don't know exactly what I'll ask the wizard when I reach the city. I'm just going there because Moko-san told me he could help. Do you think he really can, Tsuruga-san?"

She looked at him like he was her saving grace. Despite the misgivings he had about this mysterious wizard, Ren found he couldn't allow her to go on making such an anxious face.

"I'm sure he can help you somehow," Ren said quickly, leaning over her in a concerned way. "He's very resourceful, I've heard. He'll think of something, so you don't need to worry."

Kyoko still stared up at him, but she seemed soothed. She looked away, then blinked, as if she'd remembered something.

"Tsuruga-san, have we gone too far? Is the place you were talking about near here?" Kyoko asked.

"It should be somewhere around here..." Ren said, glancing at the fields around them.

"Could that be it?" Kyoko asked. Ren looked up and saw she was pointing at a stand of trees just down the road.

"Ah," he said, feeling let down somehow. "It seems farther than I remembered."

_Am I getting old_? he thought. It was not a pleasant idea.

They reached the trees in good time, and just as they were stepping under the canopy, something red caught Kyoko's eye.

"Apples!" Kyoko cried. "Just like Snow White!"

Ren found himself smiling as she rushed to the nearest tree and plucked an apple from the highest branch she could reach. As soon as she had done so, there was a great rumbling from the tree, and a voice out of nowhere said,"What do you think you're doing?"

Kyoko stared up at the shaking branches in awe. Had the tree just spoken?

"I-I was hungry..." Kyoko said faintly.

"She...was hungry! Well! Where do you think you are, some sort of pick-your-own fruit orchard?" the tree demanded. It loomed dangerously over her, its limbs quivering with rage.

"I didn't mean any harm," Kyoko pleaded. She shrank away from the tree, clutching a single apple in her hands, and felt like a small animal under the stare of a predator. "They were so small, I didn't think anyone would miss a few!"

"Are you saying my apples aren't what they should be?" the tree cried indignantly.

_Oh God_, Ren thought. _Please let this end well_...

"Excuse me," the straw man said, stepping forward so that he was standing in front of the tree. "Maybe I can help sort things out?"

The tree shifted imperceptiby. Watching it, Kyoko wondered where its eyes were, if it had any. How else could it be observing them?

Evidently it had some means of appraising them, for when it saw the scarecrow standing before it, the tree gave a mighty shudder, raining leaves down on the travellers.

"Ah, look! Everybody, look!" the apple called to the other trees in the grove. "It's Ren! He's here!"

From the outside, it might have looked like a gale had swept through. Branches waved and roots cracked as, by a gross alteration of the natural order, the whole grove of trees turned round to look at them. There was a strained silence. Then, with a frightening clamor, the cluster of trees was filled with excited voices. There were cries of "Oh, it can't be him!" and "I can't believe I get to see him in person!" One especially masculine voice groaned, "He's gorgeous!"

Over the din, Kyoko looked at the scarecrow curiously and asked, "Tsuruga-san, you're famous here, too?" Ren froze.

"I..." he hesitated, not sure how he should answer. After a moment's pause he finally settled for, "You could say I get around."

_I thought working as a scarecrow in the middle of nowhere would afford me some peace and quiet_, he thought. Absently, he pushed his glasses closer to his face. _So much for that_...

"Let's get out of here, shall we?" Ren said, turning elegantly to Kyoko. "We don't want to disturb anyone else who might be in the forest do we? Besides, I think we have plenty of apples to be getting on with."

He was right. In their agitation, the trees had dropped bushels of leaves, as well as a few barrel's worth of apples. Ren gallantly gathered up an armful of them for Kyoko and then led the way out of the grove.

The trees were not happy to see them go. They pleaded with Ren to stay and tried to hold him back. Ren politely assured them that he would come back and visit if he could, though he was secretly swearing never to wander this way again. He shouldered his way through with Kyoko in tow.

"Would you at least let us keep some of your straw?" a rather forward peach tree called after them. It added coyly, "From somewhere around your heart, maybe?"

Shuddering, Ren urged Kyoko along and hurried after her as fast as his straw feet could carry him.

* * *

The next chapter should be up tomorrow, if I can wrestle it into shape. The tin man is giving me...difficulties.  
A big thanks to leavesfallingup, who pointed out a mistake in the last chapter. If any of you see a mistake, don't hesitate to let me know. I really appreciate your attention to detail.  
I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, even if there have been some surprises.


	7. An Unexpected Encounter

"Stalker trees"...so cute ^^  
Thanks for all the feedback. I love seeing the reasons behind everyone's casting preferences, and I'm also glad to see so many people understand why I wrote things the way I did.  
Now, here's someone I think you'll like to see. You'll have to tell me if you think they're right for the role.

* * *

**Chapter Seven - An Unexpected Encounter**

Eventually they escaped the fruit grove and found themselves walking down the road under a peaceful row of elms. These trees were much more sedate. A few of them stirred and hailed the passing travellers, but they soon settled down again to enjoy the afternoon breeze. As the pair went along, Kyoko looked up from a half-eaten apple and gazed inquiringly at Ren.

"Don't you want any apples, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked. Beside her, the scarecrow grew very still. Straw rustled ever so slightly.

"Mogami-san," Ren said carefully, a hint of apprehension in his voice, "I'm made of straw. I don't eat apples."

There was a pause as Kyoko appeared to consider his words. Ren waited to see how she would respond. For all that she was so polite and accomodating, she could be oddly militant about things, too. She particularly seemed to have taken issue with his eating habits, or the lack thereof.

"I see," Kyoko said after a pause. Ren relaxed.

"Maybe we'll find some straw for you along the way!" Kyoko added cheerfully.

Ren did not respond. Inwardly, he cursed every hay bale that might lie on the road between them and the Emerald City.

He was quiet for some time. His silence was somewhat worrying to Kyoko. She looked up to see if anything was the matter, but just then she saw a glint through the trees. It was coming from a little clearing just around a bend in the road. Kyoko leaned past the scarecrow and stared curiously at the glare.

"Tsuruga-san, what is that?" she asked. Ren turned to see what she was referring to. His eyes widened with recognition.

"Ah, that's..." he said slowly, not sure where to begin.

Standing in the clearing was a figure made of polished tin. It held an axe over one shoulder, as if it had been frozen in mid-swing. The face was remarkably life-like; it was staring through the trees at them with an expression of utter shock and horror that went beyond anything Kyoko felt she had ever been able to portray. She regarded it with awe.

"Why, it's just like a person!" Kyoko exclaimed. She turned to Ren in excitement and added, "Look, Tsuruga-san!"

Ren just smiled at her enthusiasm. When he said nothing, Kyoko looked back at the tin man.

"It's just standing there," Kyoko said. "Is it one of those machines where you have to put in a coin to make it move?"

"Ah, don't worry, Mogami-san," Ren said. "He's..."

_Probably thinking something stupid_, Ren thought. But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Why's it holding that axe, you think?" Kyoko asked. "It looks really sharp..."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Mogami-san," Ren said. "He's harmless."

Ren walked over to the fixture to show her it was all right. Kyoko hung back, looking nervous.

As he got close, the scarecrow could hear a noise coming from the tin man. Ren leaned in to hear better. The sound turned out to be a voice. It was saying the same thing, over and over again:

"Ren...Ren..."

Ren stood back, alarmed.

"Are you all right?" the scarecrow asked. Behind him, Kyoko watched with a look of concern. "Can you tell us what's the matter?"

The tin man spoke again, faint and squeaky, like someone trying very hard to hold themselves in:

"Ren...is walking down the road with a girl...Kyoko-chan, no less..."

The scarecrow turned back to Kyoko, smiling in the special way he saved for when he was annoyed.

"I think we should leave it as it is, Mogami-san," Ren said, beaming.

Kyoko hadn't heard what the tin man had said to Ren. She was peering curiously at the tin man, evidently having lost her fear now that Ren was standing beside it in one piece.

"But what is it doing here?" she asked. Ren was about to answer her when Kyoko ambled over to examine the tin man up close. "Is it a statue? It looks so life-like!" Kyoko exclaimed with wonder. She reached out and scratched at the tin man's side.

To her surprise, the tin man sprang to life, bringing its axe down as it doubled over in a fit of laughter.

"That tickles, Kyoko-chan!" the tin man cried. There was the sound of metal-on-metal as he clutched the spot Kyoko had touched.

Kyoko backed away, fearful of the swinging axe.

"I-it's alive...!" she said.

The tin man's laughter subsided. He stood up straight and looked at Kyoko.

"Ah, you don't recognize me, Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko looked hard at the tin man. There seemed to be something familiar in his expression...something in the eyes, like a mischievous spark...

She jumped back and cried, "Yashiro-san! I didn't know you without your glasses!"

The tin man grinned, happy that the girl had recognized him after all.

"I gave them to Ren," Yashiro explained. "He thought they might help disguise him a bit."

"Oh, so you're together here too?" Kyoko asked brightly.

Both men were silent. There was something about Kyoko's choice of words that did not seem quite right to them.

"You could say that..." Ren said. He sent a wary glance at Yashiro, who returned it one of his own.

"I was sent to look after Ren," Yashiro said carefully. Kyoko simply stared at him, as if waiting for him to continue. Yashiro realized she did not understand and added, "People take his straw. A lot of it, actually."

"Oh!" Kyoko cried, concerned. She looked at Ren. "Does it hurt you?"

The scarecrow looked down at her and was touched by the worried look in her eyes.

"Not at all," Ren reassured the girl. As if to demonstrate how little ill effect the loss of his stuffing caused him, the scarecrow pulled some straw from his sleeve and waved it about, saying, "I just keep picking it up and putting it back in again, see?"

Kyoko looked at the little bundle of straw and frowned.

"That's convenient, isn't it?" she said, sounding unsure.

Ren suddenly felt awkward. He stuffed the straw back into his sleeve and tried to look anywhere but at the other two.

"But why are you here, Yashiro-san? Did you and Tsuruga-san get separated?" Kyoko asked, turning to the tin man.

"Well, to tell the truth..." Yashiro said, turning to a pile of freshly-hewn logs. "There was this rather persistent pine tree..." Yashiro said. He rested the axe on his shoulder and looked embarrassed. "I guess I got carried away."

Ren and Kyoko glanced at the heap of timber. A sudden fear overtook them. They looked back at the tin man with a new respect, as well as a hint of terror.

"I did wonder where you'd gone..." Ren said carefully. "I turned around from talking to a couple of ash saplings and you'd vanished."

_Though, now that I think about it_, Ren thought slowly, _there was this strange noise...like someone screaming_...

Ren grew silent, lost in his thoughts. The tin man turned to Kyoko instead.

"Ah, but what are you doing here, Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked. He leaned over to the girl, grinning suggestively, and whispered in a conspiratorial manner, "Taking a pleasant stroll through the woods?"

"Actually, we were going to the city," Kyoko replied. What did he mean, taking a stroll?

"Oh? Why is that?" Yashiro asked curiously.

"The Wizard is going to help me get home!" Kyoko said brightly. "Tsuruga-san is taking me there."

"Eh? But wouldn't you like to-" Yashiro began, but a polite cough from behind interrupted him. He turned around and saw Ren smiling at him in a way that nearly froze him solid.

"Aren't you forgetting what you're supposed to be doing, Tin-man-san?" Ren asked, his voice filled with false warmth.

Yashiro gathered his nerve and asked, "Oh? And what might that be, Scarecrow-san?"

They leaned closer to each other, whispering too quietly for Kyoko to hear:

"I was just helping you with your affairs, like I'm supposed to."

"And how does putting ideas in Mogami-san's head help me?"

"Like you didn't want to put the same idea there yourself!"

"I think you're the one who hasn't got any brains," Ren said quietly. His calm demeanor was not diminished as he spoke; rather, his gentleman's persona intensified, creating a cold aura around him, and his words seemed like a threat.

But Yashiro was not abashed. He put on a placid smile.

"And maybe you're the one who needs a heart," Yashiro whispered back. "Are you going to let Kyoko-chan go back and fall in love with somebody else?"

"I don't see how that's any of our bus-"

"Are you two done talking without me now?" Kyoko said, breaking into their chatter. The two men looked up in a hurry, startled to realize they had been ignoring her. Kyoko was watching them with a look that showed she was very displeaed. When neither of them responded to her inquiry, she said coldly, "If you're too busy, I can go on to the city by myself."

But before either man could reply, a voice called from above:

"We meet again, Kyoko. You're so slow."

All three looked up and saw Sho, still on his broom, hovering just over the treetops above. He was leering at Kyoko, and he looked very pleased with himself. At the sight of him, Ren and Kyoko grew tense, but both for very different reasons.

_You_...Ren thought darkly. Kyoko was not so subdued.

"You!" she shrieked. Around her, her grudge demon was circling in a frenzy. Kyoko pointed furiously at the Witch and shouted, "What do you think you're doing here!"

_How long has he been there?_ Yashiro thought dubiously.

* * *

Even as a kid, I could never believe that the tin man needed a new heart. I actually considered him to be the most compassionate of the group. Or, well...he acted the mushiest, anyway. The lion was more emotional, but I don't think that's the same thing. And I think Yashiro tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, so for me, casting him as the tin man was a no-brainer. (Pun intended)  
The next chapter should be up sometime tomorrow, as per usual. When it's posted it depends on how much time I get to work on it today.  
Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story.


	8. Rendezvous on a Broom

Sorry for the delay. This chapter was tricky. I meant for it to be funny all through, but it changed in the writing. I'd like to mess with it a bit more, but I don't think I'd do any good fussing over it.

I really enjoyed reading the reviews for chapter seven. If not for you guys (and ladies!), I might not have bothered to finish this chapter on time(ish).

* * *

**Chapter Eight - Rendezvous on a Broom**

Sho could not believe his luck. Here he had been passing over the forest on his way home when he happened to look down and see a familiar crop of orange hair on the road below.

Thinking her to be alone, he grinned to himself.

_Heh. I'll take this chance to scare her into telling me her secret._

He did not notice Ren and Yashiro. He hovered over the group, smugly waiting for the girl to respond to his taunt.

Around Kyoko, the little grudge demon circled uselessly. It could not reach the Witch. Finally, it flew at Kyoko, crying, "Master, he's out of range! I'm afraid to go so high on my own! Please forgive me!"

The demon settled on Kyoko's shoulder, where it clung pathetically and sobbed.

For reasons she did understand, Kyoko found herself putting a hand to her shoulder.

"Er...there, there...?" Kyoko soothingly, albeit confused.

_Why did I just do that? _she thought.

Turning to matters she could comprehend, Kyoko raised her head to glare at the Witch and cried, "You! Why do you always come swooping down from above like - like some kind of natural disaster? You're a curse!"

"What! Who's a natural disaster?" Sho demanded, clearly offended. "Where do you get off, dropping houses on people and then accusing me of things! Don't you have anything better to do with your time? How typical of you, getting stuck in a dowdy little fairy tale like this."

Kyoko gaped at him. His words had struck at a thing that truly mattered to her - the sanctity of fairy tales.

"It's not dowdy!" Kyoko said indignantly. "How could it be, with Moko and Tsuruga-san here? They light up the earth around them in a way you never could!" Kyoko cried, feeling a great sense of justice as she did so. Realizing she was leaving someone out, Kyoko hastily added, "And Yashiro-san, too, of course!"

_No, it's okay_..._I feel worse when you add me in like that_...Yashiro thought.

Sho did not know who she was referring to. He frowned, saying, "What are you talking abou-"

He stopped when he saw the scarecrow and the tin man standing beside Kyoko. Somehow, seeing them made Sho feel irritated.

"Who are those two? Walking around with a bunch of guys...how lewd," the Witch said, sounding disgusted.

Kyoko was a very proper girl. The idea that someone would accuse her of something improper...she bristled at the thought.

"It's not lewd! What would you know? You're just an evil witch!" Kyoko cried.

"Hey! I like that name! Don't you go making it an insult!" Sho shot back.

Ren did not like the familiar way the two had with each other. Hoping to disrupt their discourse, he called up loudly, "What business do you have with Mogami-san? Don't you think it's rude to talk to her from up there and ignore the people who are obviously standing beside her?"

"Outsiders have nothing to do with this," Sho said. He ignored Ren grandly and said to Kyoko, "Skipping along with some dummy, are you? Is that all it takes to impress you now? A little straw doll? I thought you were too old for dolls."

"I-!" Kyoko began, but she stopped. She had no defense against that last accusation.

Sho gave Ren a long look and added, "Huh. I bet he hasn't got any brains - just a head full of dead grass."

_I'll just stay off to the side here_, Yashiro thought, though he felt left out. _There's no need for me to get involved_.

Kyoko took great offense to Sho's abuse of Ren. She called at Sho, "He's got more brains than you! And he's taller, too!"

Ren knew he had just received a compliment, but he could not be happy with it. Rather, he felt angry that Sho was taking up all of Kyoko's attention. Wanting to end their conversation, Ren stepped between the bickering pair and called to Sho, "This isn't the best way of discussing things, is it? Wouldn't you like to come down and talk face-to-face?"

He spoke calmly, but only a fool would have taken the offer. Sho heard the threat in Ren's words and shuddered. Not wanting to lose face, Sho shouted, "Stay out of this! I'll stuff a mattress with you!"

Kyoko looked at Ren and said appraisingly, "It would have to be a pretty big mattress."

She paused and felt herself blush. Something in her statement seemed inappropriate, but she could not decide what. Flustered, Kyoko stared at her shoes and avoided looking at anyone.

Seeing her expression, Ren could not help but smile.

Sho watched them, his face a picture of disbelief.

_When did they get so close?_ Sho thought wildly. He looked closely at Kyoko's downturned face and was horrified by what he saw.

"What's with that stupid face? Are you blushing?" Sho cried.

Kyoko did not hear him. Ren, however, caught Sho's remark and looked up with a dark expression few had ever seen on him. Just seeing it made Sho feel glad that he was on his broom, rather than on the ground near Ren.

"So you really want to be a mattress, huh?" Sho called. He tried to sound arrogant, but he could not quite manage it. Ren was not fooled.

"What can you do to me from up there, little Witch?" the scarecrow asked cooly. "I'd really like to see."

"Y-you!" Sho cried, heat rising in his face. "I'll show you!"

Sho dug into his pocket and took out a silver cigarette lighter. He didn't smoke, but he thought having the lighter made him look cool. Turning from view, he opened the lighter and cupped his hand around the tiny flame. It sputtered under his fingers.

"Come on..." Sho said impatiently.

After a moment the flame grew, twisting away from the lighter until Sho held a ball of fire in his hand. He grinned.

Whirling around to face Ren, Sho held the ball aloft. The scarecrow and the tin man saw it and froze.

"Wait, you can't..." Yashiro said faintly, staring up at the glow. He looked at the scarecrow and tried to speak, but words failed him. He stared at his charge helplessly.

Ren said nothing. He watched the flames in Sho's hand and stood very still.

_If he doesn't hit me, he'll catch this whole forest on fire_, Ren thought. _I can't let Mogami-san and Yukihito-san get caught up in that_.

Sho had not considered this. He raised the ball over his head and called triumphantly, "Take this!"

The flames burst from his hand and hurtled straight for Ren.

Kyoko, still looking at her shoes, heard Sho shout and looked up. She saw the fire. Her eyes widened. She looked at Ren, who was standing with a look of determination, and she gasped.

"You can't!"

Kyoko dove in front of Ren and held out her arms protectively. Ren stared at her in wonder. Before he could speak, however, his better instincts took over. He seized her around the shoulders and, having no other means of safeguarding her, flung them both to the ground.

The fire soared over their heads and hit the road behind them. They both felt the heat as it passed.

"Ah!" Yashiro cried. He rushed forward to the impromptu bonfire that now blazed on the road. He tramped the flames down as fast as he could manage. "Hah! Ouch! Ah, go out already!"

As Yashiro worked to subdue the fire, his feet glowing red-hot, Ren stirred. He sat up so that he was straddling Kyoko, who opened her eyes as he moved. Realizing she was all right, Ren felt relieved, but he was angry, as well.

"Mogami-san, what were you thinking? You-" he stopped when he saw that Kyoko was crying.

"I c-couldn't...!" Kyoko hiccuped. "I couldn't let him..."

Something behind Ren caught her attention. Whatever she had been about to say was forgotten for the immortal cry of, "Tsuruga-san!  
Your pants are on fire!"

She had thought of saying 'bottom', but something about it seemed wrong. How dare she refer to the great Tsuruga-sama's bottom so casually?

Ren turned around and found that, indeed, his trousers were ablaze.

_How fitting_, Ren thought dryly. _Considering how many times I've lied to her_...

The flames caused him no pain, but it would be an inconvenience if burned up before he could see Kyoko safely to the city, he felt. And both Kyoko and Yashiro would be concerned, of course.

Ren rolled onto his back, choking the flames. He looked at Kyoko, who was now sitting beside him, and said, "All better, see?"

He smiled as he spoke. Kyoko looked at him and bit her lip.

"Tsuruga-san..." she said.

Sho watched the spectacle below him. He felt a mixture of anger and contempt, both at himself and at the scarecrow. He would have died rather than admit that his jealousy of the scarecrow had caused him to put Kyoko's life in danger.

His jealousy and his anger engulfed him as he watched the girl and the scarecrow play out a touching scene. Clenching his fists around the broom, he called out, "Hey! Aren't you forgetting something?"

Ren and Kyoko looked up. Yashiro finished beating down the flames and turned to stare at the Witch as well.

Sho faltered under the eyes of the group, but soon recovered his nerve. He addressed Ren:

"You'd better stop helping her, or I'll take you to pieces myself!"

Ren said nothing. He watched the boy with a look that was impassive, but something in his eyes showed clearly how little he cared for the Witch's warning.

Sho looked around and saw Yashiro.

"Oh, and..." Sho frowned as he searched his mind for a good threat. "You'd better stay away or I'll...make a...a beehive out of you, or something. Yeah. So get lost!"

_Is he five years old?_ Yashiro thought. _I mean, a beehive?_

Yashiro briefly imagined himself standing in a field of flowers, surrounded by a swarm of bees.

_It might not be bad_, Yashiro mused. Then he remembered the situation they were in, and he shook himself. _Stop that!  
_  
Sho turned to Kyoko.

"I won't forget this, or your secret, Kyoko! Go to the city if you want. Ask that old hack for help. It won't do you any good!" Sho called. He felt a villain for saying it, and yet he could not help it. But it did not make him feel any better. He adjusted his grip on the broom and turned away, shouting, "Good luck with the Wizard, Kyoko! You'll need it!"

So saying, he flew off like a shot, whipping up leaves from the tree tops as he went.

The three remaining watched him, feeling somehow defeated. Ren glanced at Kyoko. She was staring at the sky where Sho had been with a look that held both anger and disappointment.

_Is she sorry to see him go?_ Ren thought. He looked down at the scorched road and closed his eyes.

Yashiro felt the silence, even as he stood apart from the other two. Like an older brother witnessing his younger siblings on the verge of tears, he felt responsible for cheering them up.

"Hey!" Yashiro said brightly. "Did you see that? We really saw that Witch off, didn't we?"

Ren did not respond; Kyoko looked up, sad but also surprised.

"You mean you're not afraid, Yashiro-san? The Witch threatened to make a beehive of you," Kyoko said.

"Beehive, ha!" Yashiro said. "I'm not afraid of him. I'll see you get to the Wizard for sure!"

* * *

I feel sorry for Sho. He's too proud to admit he's wrong, so he has to watch the girl he likes get close to someone else. I don't think that excuses him, though.

I love Yashiro in onii-chan mode. I just want to cheer for him!

Another update tomorrow, and we'll finally get to see who will play the last of Kyoko's companions.


	9. Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

After a bit of a delay, I present you a new chapter. I just finished it, so no promises of perfect grammar and whatnot.  
If the holidays are done trying to kill me for the moment, you might see another chapter tomorrow, along with a some new holiday-themed fics. 'Cuz, you know, I'm crazy like that.  
Thanks for waiting! Now, on with the show...

* * *

**Chapter Nine - Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!**

At Yashiro's words, both Ren and Kyoko looked up.

"Are coming with us, Yashiro-san?" Kyoko asked. Behind her, Ren watched curiously.

"Of course! I have to stay with Ren anyway. It's my job," Yashiro reminded her. He glanced at Ren and said, "Unless you don't want me in your way...?"

Kyoko looked up quickly.

"Oh, no!" she said. "I didn't mean that all! It's just...just..." Kyoko turned away and began to fuss over the hem of her dress in a nervous way.

Both men watched her curiously. They glanced at each other, and an unspoken exchange took place. Ren leaned over the girl while Yashiro stood by.

"What is it, Mogami-san?" Ren asked. Kyoko looked up and regarded him with an expression that he hoped she never used on anyone else. If Yashiro wasn't watching...

"It's..." Kyoko hesitated. Ren waited patiently. Kyoko gathered her courage and continued, "It's just that the Witch is so wicked. I don't think you two ought to come with me because you'll get into trouble."

Ren blinked. Was that what she was worried about? Here he'd thought Sho had managed to scare her. He should have known better.

"Mogami-san," Ren said gently. Yashiro listened intently; was he about to witness a sweet scene between the two? Before he could begin to imagine it, Ren said, "You don't think we're going to stand by and let that Witch get away fireballs and bees, do you?"

Kyoko stared. Yashiro made a face.

_That was a perfect chance, Ren! Why do you think I stood back and let you take care of things? _Yashiro thought indignantly.

When neither of them responded, Ren turned to Yashiro and said, "Don't you agree, Yukihito-san?"

Yashiro gave a start. He felt guilty somehow.

"No sir!" he cried, obviously flustered.

"What?" Ren asked, frowning.

Yashiro realized his mistake and quickly said, "I mean, yes sir!"

"You don't have to call me sir..." Ren said, a bit disturbed. He turned to Kyoko, who was still looking at him with a doubtful expression. He said kindly, "You see? We won't let you go off to the Emerald City all by yourself."

He smiled as he spoke. Kyoko watched him and was touched.

"Tsuruga-san..." she said slowly. She looked at Yashiro, smiling in her cutest way, and said, "You two are the best friends anybody could ever ask for!"

Yashiro blushed.

_Best friends..._he thought. Why did he feel like a girl in some cheesy comic book when he heard those words?

Grinning to himself, Yashiro did not see Ren turn to Kyoko.

"I'm happy to hear that, Mogami-san," Ren said. His smile could have melted icebergs.

Something in Ren's face made Kyoko remember herself, and she quickly added, "But of course, you're my respected senpai before anything else, Tsuruga-san!"

Ren's smile drooped slightly. This senpai thing was starting to give him some problems.

_Struck down again_, Yashiro thought. He'd have to start keeping count...

Kyoko did not notice the effect her comment had on the straw man. She looked at him without concern, but as she did so, her face turned thoughtful.

"And it's funny, but I feel as if I've known you all the time. But I couldn't have, could I?" Kyoko asked, half to herself.

Before her, Ren stood very still.

"I don't see how you could," Ren said carefully. "We haven't met before this, I don't think."

Yashiro, watching them, didn't notice anything amiss. He looked curiously at the pair and said, "And I was standing over there for the longest time."

"Still, it's strange that I already knew you both when I met you. Ah! And I knew everybody else, too. I wonder why that is?" Kyoko said, frowning. "But Tsuruga-san I knew the most..."

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Ren said. He was very anxious to get Kyoko away from the subject. "We know each other now, don't we?"

Kyoko looked at him.

"We do?" she asked. The scarecrow nodded.

"We do," he said.

"Yes, of course we do," Yashiro added.

Ren held his arm out to the girl once more.

"To Oz?" he asked.

Kyoko took his arm timidly. Then, realizing someone was left out, she held her other arm out to Yashiro, smiling warmly as she did so. Yashiro glanced over her head at Ren, who was watching Kyoko. Ren saw Yashiro staring and returned the look with a light smile and a shrug. Yashiro took Kyoko's arm and said, "To Oz!"

They started down the path together, somehow managing to walk in sync with each other. Ren was very careful to shorten his strides so that Kyoko could keep up, and Yashiro was so used to changing his pace to match Ren's that the three aligned perfectly.

As they walked, Kyoko found herself humming a tune. Yashiro looked at her curiously.

"That's a nice song, Kyoko-chan. Where did you learn it?" the tin man asked. Ren looked on, also interested.

Kyoko stopped humming.

"I'm not sure. I just seemed to know it, somehow. I think there are words for it, but I can't quite remember. I wonder how I know it..." Kyoko said.

"Maybe you heard it a long time ago?" Yashiro said helpfully.

"Once in a lullaby..." Kyoko said. She looked up abrubtly. "Where did that come from?"

The others watched her. Kyoko opened her mouth to say something else, but just then the group passed under a dense patch of trees. They were so thick that the sunlight hardly pierced through the canopy.

Kyoko looked up and remarked, "Did it get darker just now?"

The other two turned their heads up as well.

"I think this part of the forest is older than the rest," Ren said.

"It's kind of creepy," Kyoko said. Beside her, Yashiro nodded in agreement.

Kyoko looked at Ren.

"Do you suppose we'll meet any wild animals?" she asked.

_She must be thinking of Little Red Riding Hood..._Ren thought. He began to assure her that they would be safe, but Yashiro spoke first.

"We might," Yashiro said. He looked around and added, "Now that you mention it, I've heard this forest is full of wild animals."

"It is?" Kyoko asked, panicked.

_Brilliant_, Ren thought, taking a deep breath. _Better defuse this right away..._

"Animals that eat straw?" Ren asked mildly.

Yashiro looked at the the scarecrow, frowning. A thought came to him.

"Some, but mostly thing like lions and tigers and bears," Yashiro said calmly. Then, with all the enthusiasm of a kindergarten teacher, he whispered to Kyoko, "Lions and tiger and bears, oh my! Whatever will we do?"

The other two stared at him, but for very different reasons. Kyoko looked frightened; Ren appeared to be contemplating murder.

"Lions?" Kyoko said fearfully.

"And tigers," Ren said. He sounded like he didn't believe a word of it.

"And bears!" Yashiro finished, grinning. His expression seemed to say, And what are you going to do about it, Ren?

The men watched each other. Before either could speak, however, a strange noise came through the trees and caught their attention. It was a kind of feeble yowling sound, like the call of a small animal. The group glanced around, puzzled.

"What sort of animal is that?" Kyoko asked.

"Where is it coming from?" Yashiro added, scanning the undergrowth nearby.

"It sounds like a cat," Ren commented.

At this, the noise stopped. A terrible sobbing took its place. Amidst the cries of anguish they heard someone saying, "A cat! And I was trying so hard!"

"Ah! Tsuruga-san, you hurt it's feelings!" Kyoko cried.

"I didn't mean to..." Ren said.

"But where is it _coming_ from?" Yashiro asked wildly, feeling ignored.

Just then, a patch of something yellow caught the tin man's eye. A tuft of golden hair was sticking out from behind a bush off the road just a few feet away. The hair was the end to a tail, presumably attached to someone behind the bush.

"There!" Yashiro cried triumphantly, pointing.

The bush gave a shudder, and the tail was quickly pulled out of sight.

"And now you've frightened it, Yashiro-san!" Kyoko said, rushing to the shaking bush. Yashiro withdrew his hand, feeling ashamed.

"Mogami-san, I don't think you should..." Ren began, but Kyoko ignored him. She stepped up to the bush and peeked over. What she saw was very surprising.

_Ah! It's so cute!_ she found herself thinking.

Sitting behind the bush was a lion. It's long, shaggy fur was just as yellow as the tail it was now clutching between its paws. It looked like it was trying very hard not to cry. When it realized it was not alone, the lion looked up, sniffling.

"W-what do you want?" the lion asked.

As the creature stared at her, Kyoko's eyes lit up with recognition.

"Ogata-san! What are you doing here?" Kyoko cried.

The lion frowned at her.

"Kyoko-chan? I wasn't expecting to see you here. Are you alone?" Ogata asked. He stood, still holding his tail, and spotted the others. "Tsuruga-san! And Yashiro-san? What are you all doing here?"

* * *

So many people had good ideas for the lion! But there could only be one.  
Ogata was crying when he first met Kyoko in the manga, too. I love seeing those two in a scene together. They're too cute! Like watching a monkey play with a kitten. And it's so interesting how Ogata had such high hopes for Kyoko from the very beginning. He even relied on her to help him gain confidence in himself.  
New chapter soooooon...ish.


	10. Out of the Woods

Cactus2008 pointed out that it's a little hard to understand Kyoko's current frame of mind. To whit: does she think she's dreaming, or is she acting as if she was on set somewhere? I tried to clarify that point in the last chapter, but I see now that it wasn't very clear. Sorry about that! I hope it's clearer in this chapter. Well, as clear as it can be. If it's still confusing, I'll just say that Kyoko has no idea what's going on right now. She's just doing what Kanae told her to do. She's a little too obedient...  
And of course, it's all pretty weird to her, anyway. Dream logic, and all that.

* * *

**Chapter Ten - Out of the Woods**

"We could ask the same of you," Ren said to the lion. Ogata jumped and began to tug anxiously at his tail.

"E-eh? Me? I was just..." the lion mumbled.

"What's the matter? Are you lost?" Kyoko asked.

"I'm not lost!" the lion said quickly, turning his head to face the group. When he saw the others watching him, he looked down aain. "It's just...I heard people coming, so I got s-scared and hid behind that bush. I wanted to make a lot of noise to scare you away. But then Tsuruga-san said I sounded like a cat..." Ogata said ruefully. He gave his tail a particularly strong pull.

Kyoko and Yashiro glanced at Ren, their faces disapproving. Ren held his hands up plaintively. Kyoko looked away and began to fuss over the lion. Meanwhile, the tin man grinned and wagged a teasing finger at Ren, who stared back coldly.

"But you're a lion, aren't you?" Kyoko asked. "You can't have anything to be afraid of!"

Hearing this, the lion dropped his tail and looked stricken.

"You're right! I'm a coward!" Ogata said mournfully. "I don't deserve to be a lion!"

He put his paws to over his eyes and began to cry again.

"Oh, that's not true!" Kyoko cried. She put a hand out to pat the lion on the shoulder. "Why, you must be very brave to take three people on all by yourself!"

The lion stopped crying and looked at her tearfully.

"You...you think so?" he said uncertainly.

"Of course!" Kyoko said brightly. "Anyone would think it was brave! Right?"

She turned to Ren and Yashiro, who nodded furiously.

"And it's strange, but I feel like I've known you all along, too," Kyoko added, looking back at the lion. "Why don't you come with us? We're off to see the Wizard."

"The wonderful Wizard of Oz?" asked Ogata in an awed voice.

"That's right! I'm going to ask for his help. Maybe he'll do something for you, too!" Kyoko suggested.

"Do you think he can?" Ogata asked.

"Sure he can! Don't you think so, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked the scarecrow.

"Well, I-" Ren began cautiously. He was not sure what the Wizard could do for the lion.

Before he could say this, however, Ogata asked, "Is that why Tsuruga-san and Yashiro-san are with you? To ask the for help from the Wizard?"

He looked at the tin man and the scarecrow.

"I'm just escorting Mogami-san to the city," Ren said. Ogata glanced at Yashiro. The tin man looked startled.

"I hadn't thought about it, actually," Yashiro admitted. "I was just going along with these two."

"Isn't there something you want, Yashiro-san?" Kyoko asked.

"Now that you mention it..." the tin man said thoughtfully.

"Yes?" Kyoko asked eagerly.

Yashiro pursed his lips (quite a feat, since they were, like the rest of him, made of metal) and seemed to think for a moment.

"A heart," he said finally.

_Or a girlfriend_, he thought to himself. _Either one will do_.

"A heart," Kyoko said flatly. It was not what she expected.

"What would you want one of those for?" Ren asked. "They don't bring anything but trouble."

Yashiro turned a stern eye on the scarecrow.

"You might not get much out of your heart, Ren, but I assure you that my life is quite lacking without one," Yashiro said highly.

The two men glared at each other. Kyoko and the lion glanced between them, puzzled. It appeared the tin man and the scarecrow were having an argument with looks alone.

Yashiro's face said, If you put your heart to good use, you wouldn't think it was so useless.

Ren's said, Don't tell me what to do.

Ren put on his brightest smile and said, "Maybe I'll give my heart to you, Yukihito-san, since you seem to need it more than I do."

_Is that a confession?_ Kyoko thought. She looked dubiously at the men standing before her. Yashiro saw her staring and quickly turned to Ren, whispering, "Don't say weird things! Kyoko will misunderstand!"

Ren simply gave him a look that was, even by his ultra-polite standards, rather smug. Yashiro could hardly believe his eyes.

Kyoko, in fact, did not understand. She squinted at the tin man, trying to find anything amiss. Beside her, the lion sat quietly, as if he was seeing a good show.

"But why do you think you need a heart, Yashiro-san?" she asked. Yashiro looked up.

"Ah, like this," Yashiro said. He rapped his knuckles on his chest. There was a tiny ting-ting-ting. He looked at Kyoko and said, "Hollow, see?

"But you're one of the nicest people I know!" Kyoko said. "Even if you don't have a heart, you seem to get along just fine."

Yashiro colored at her words. Conscious of Ren and Ogata watching him, he glanced off the road and swung his axe absently over his shoulder.

"Well, all the same, it would still be nice to have one," the tin man said.

This seemed to signal the end of the matter. There was silence as everyone stared at each other awkwardly.

Then Ogata, remembering how the conversation had started, turned to Kyoko and asked, "And what about you, Kyoko-chan? Why are you going to see the Wizard?"

"Because...um..." Kyoko faltered.

_Because of the wonderful things he does?_ Ren thought. He wondered if this was such a good idea after all.

The lion tilted his head to look curiously at Kyoko.

"You don't know why you're going, Kyoko-chan? But how do you know to go there?" Ogata asked.

Kyoko shook her head.

"I don't know. I don't even know how I got here! At first I thought it was a set of some kind, but now I can't remember. This is a strange place...like something in a dream..." Kyoko grumbled. The lion blinked at her.

"A set? What's that?" he asked.

"You know, I'm not quite sure any more," Kyoko said, frowning. "It seems like the farther I go, the more forget some things. But then I remember other things! And my head hurts. I think I hit it on something." She put a hand over her eyes. The lion looked concerned. He patted her on the head lightly.

The tin man and the scarecrow looked on in silence. Neither was quite sure what to make of the scene. Ren did not know whether he should be jealous of the lion, or if he should feel sorry for him. Rather than a lion, Ogata was like a big cat.

Yashiro found himself grinning. He cast a sly glance at Ren, whose expression was carefully blank, and said quietly, "I think you've got some competition, Ren."

In an instant, the blank look on Ren's face was replaced by one of indifference. The scarecrow was on his guard.

"And what could you mean by that?" Ren asked.

"Don't play dumb with me," Yashiro said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Yukihito," Ren said calmly.

"How boring..." Yashiro mumbled, disappointed. Ren narrowed his eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling that you spend more time interfering with my relationships than you do on developing your own?" Ren asked.

"Er..." Yashiro paused.

Fortunately for him, Kyoko interrupted just then by calling, "Tsuruga-san! Can Ogata-san come with us to the city?"

Ren and Yashiro turned to look at Kyoko and Ogata, who were watching them expectantly.

"I don't see why not," Ren said after a pause. He was not altogether willing to pick up another companion, especially since the Witch was still after them, but what else could he say?

Kyoko did not consider this. She turned to Ogata and said cheerfully, "You see! It'll be all right!"

_That's that, then_, Ren thought. He sighed.

Yashiro heard him and said sympathetically, "You just can't tell Kyoko-chan no, can you? But I guess you can't help it."

_Why can't you leave me alone?_ Ren thought.

"Could you turn her down, Yashiro-san?" the scarecrow asked. He looked seriously at Yashiro, who, seeing Ren's face, decided to take the matter seriously as well. He imagined Kyoko's disappointed face and found he could not bear the thought.

"I guess not," Yashiro said eventually.

_I thought so_, Ren reflected.

"Shall we get going?" the scarecrow called to the rest of their little troupe. Kyoko and the lion paused in their chatter to look at him. Ren went on, "It's not far to the city now."

To himself, he added, _And if I know anything, it won't be easy_.

* * *

Did you know this story was originally supposed to be only five chapters? It seems to have gotten away from me...

A lot of talking this time around. Sorry if it's boring anybody. The next chapter should have a little more excitement. You know, witches and poisoned flowers and all that.


	11. Poppies

At last, we reach the poppies! Thanks once again to all who have read this far, and thanks especially to those who have reviewed my story. I couldn't do it without your support! Well, it wouldn't be as good, anyway ;)

* * *

**Chapter Eleven - Poppies**

As Kyoko and her friends were getting underway once more, two people were conferring with each other over a large crystal orb in a dark tower in the mountains high over Oz.

"Shoko, what was that stuff you gave me?" Sho was complaining. "That green stuff. I nearly choked trying to use it when I left the Munchkins. What were you thinking, giving me crap like that?"

The woman in question, Shoko, stood with her arms crossed, her face drawn in a put-upon expression. She was dressed in a red skirt and vest, and her long hair was tied back into a low ponytail. Even if she worked for the Wicked Witch of the West, she would not be press-ganged into dressing like him.

"If you used it the way I told you, it should have-" Shoko began heavily, but she was interrupted by Sho, who had transferred his attention to the crystal between them.

"What's this? How does it work?" the Witch asked eagerly.

Shoko sighed.

"It's like this," she said. She held up a hand and waved it over the crystal ball.

Nothing happened. Sho looked at her expectantly. Shoko smiled nervously back at him.

"Sometimes it takes a bit of-" _THUNK!_ "-time to get started. Ah! See, it's working!"

Indeed, a small, flickering image was beginning to appear in the ball. Sho watched Shoko suspiciously, but she merely smiled serenely. He turned to the crystal instead.

Relieved, Shoko released the breath she was holding and shifted on her feet. Kicking that that thing had _hurt_.

"AH!" Sho cried. Startled, Shoko looked at the boy. He was staring into the crystal, an expression of utter contempt distorting his features.

"W-what is it?" Shoko asked shakily.

Sho ignored her, too upset by what he saw in the crystal to respond. Instead, he shouted, "She's got another one! Where do they keep coming from?"

"Another one? Another what?" Shoko asked, confused. The Witch did not answer, opting to pull out his hair, rather. Shoko looked at the crystal ball.

In the wavering light she saw four figures walking together, chattering to each other as they went. They made an odd group. As far a Shoko could tell, the party was formed of a giant tin can wielding an axe, a walking scarecrow wearing a pair of sunglasses, a shaggy-haired lion who was currently carrying his tail between his paws, and, strangest of all, a young woman who appeared to be quite comfortable among this unusual assortment of companions. She was talking to the lion, who must have said something funny, because the girl broke out into one of the most adorable smiles Shoko had ever seen.

The smile sparked something in Shoko's memory. She stared into the ball, and her eyes widened.

"It's Kyoko-chan!" Shoko cried, staggering back from the ball in her surprise.

Across the room, Sho kicked over a bookshelf, sending it crashing to the floor. Shoko chose to ignore the commotion for the time being and looked closer at the ball.

"And..." Shoko said carefully, squinting at Kyoko's fellow travelers. The tin man and the lion were not wholly familiar to her, but she knew she had seen the scarecrow somewhere before. It came to her suddenly, and Shoko had to put a hand over her mouth to hold back her laughter. She managed to choke out, "And Ren, too!"

_Who does he think he's fooling with those glasses?_ Shoko thought, amused.

Sho, in the process of emptying the dirt from a potted plant, whipped around at the name of his most hated rival.

"He's still with her? They just don't learn!" the Witch said scornfully. He stormed over to the crystal ball and rounded on Shoko, demanding, "What kind of spells can you use on them?"

"From this distance? Well..." She gave him a list of their options.

Sho listened intently. To her surprise, he grinned.

"That's perfect," he said.

~

A short while later, the group reached the edge of the forest. As they passed the last of the trees (who called urgently at Ren to please visit again soon), they caught sight of something that made them pause.

"Oh!" Kyoko said reverently.

Before them lay an expanse of poppies. The bright red flowers swayed enticingly in the wind. To Kyoko, it seemed as if they were waving to her, calling her to come enjoy the wonderful breeze and sun.

"Pretty!" Kyoko said reverently. She leaned in to catch the intoxicating scent that was wafting off of the flowers.

"I don't think we should..." Ren began.

But it was too late. Kyoko was already running toward the field. The lion, not wanting to be left behind, bounded after her, calling, "Kyoko-chan! Don't go so fast!"

Ren and Yashiro were left at the edge of the field. They stared after the pair, not sure if they should follow after or attempt to call the girl and the lion back from their play. Ren was reluctant to do so, seeing the happy look on Kyoko's face. He almost wished he could join them.

"Were those here when we passed here before?" Yashiro asked, breaking Ren from his reverie. The scarecrow shook his head, not sure if the flowers had been there or not. He had not been paying much attention.

Yashiro frowned.

"I see...it seems very strange for them to just appear, especially so many of them. We shouldn't stay here..." the tin man said speculatively. He turned to face the field, cupped his hands around his mouth, and called, "Kyoko-chan, we have to get going! The sooner we get to the Wizard, the better!"

There was no answer. The sound of laughter drifted over the field from where Kyoko and Ogata were now sitting and talking excitedly.

"Ren!" Yashiro cried, turning to the scarecrow. "What'll we do? At this rate, Kyoko will forget all about the Wizard and the Emerald City!"

"I don't think it's that serious," Ren said calmly, though secretly he felt the same.

Fortunately for the group, a strange thing happened just then. A fierce wind picked up, blowing the flowers about mercilessly, and a voice rang out over the field:

"Mo! What the hell are you doing!"

Kyoko and Ogata sat up stiffly, startled by the shill sound. "Eh? Moko-san! Is that you?" Kyoko said uncertainly. Kanae's voice quickly shot back, making Kyoko flinch:

"I take five minutes out of my day to check on you, and you're frolicking in the flowers! And who are all those people? Where did you pick them up?"

Kyoko quavered under the disapproving voice of the good Witch.

"I met them in the forest..." she squeaked.

"And you just took them along?" Kanae said, her tone full of disbelief. "Wait, who's that?"

A stong gust of wind blew through the meadow and went straight for Ren. The scarecrow made a grab for his hat and clamped it down on his head to keep it from blowing away. Bits of straw flew off him. The lion caught sight of the flyaway strands and went after them, hopping about in an anxious way like a cat after a butterfly.

"Ah...so he's with you. Hah. So much the better. I guess you don't need my help at all."

At this, Kyoko stood up quickly, crying, "That's not true, Moko-san! I definitely need you!"

"Oh, don't mind me," Kanae's cold voice echoed over the field. "I hope you're enjoying your little stroll with the straw man."

"No one seems to be noticing us," Yashiro commented. The lion, having made his way back to where Ren and Yashiro stood, paused in his efforts to catch the stray straw and nodded sadly.

"Why does everyone keep saying that!" Kyoko wailed. "Tsuruga-san and I met at random! I walked by and he just happened to know the way to city! There's no meaning behind it!"

Unseen by Kyoko, the scarecrow clutched at his heart and doubled over. Yashiro and Ogata watched him, looking horrified. The lion sprang forward to console him, bundles of straw in his paws, and cried, "Ah! Tsuruga-san!"

Meanwhile, Kyoko was shouting, "Please, Moko-san, you have to listen! Don't go away!"

But Kanae was not appeased. She called back haughtily, "You've made your choice. I'm very happy for you. Here - something to make your walk more scenic."

It began to snow. Heavy flakes of ice accumulated on Kyoko's tawny hair. The boys watched her cautiously, not sure how to approach the girl. Before they could do anything, Kyoko began to sniffle.

"Moko-san is so cold..." Kyoko mourned.

~

Back at the Witch's castle, things were looking grim. Sho stood over the crystal ball with a frustrated look.

"It didn't work! That stupid pixie had to stick her nose in! I know that florid display would have been enough to distract that little daydreamer!" he lamented.

He froze. The word 'daydreamer' had given him pause.

"What's wrong, Sho? You've got this far-away look on your face..." Shoko remarked.

Suddenly, Sho stood up, throwing his hands in the air, and shouted, "Feh! Who'd be inspired by that plain little homebody! What a stupid idea!"

"I didn't say anything like that..." Shoko said faintly, inching away from the boy.

Sho was not listening to her. Rather, he was lost in his thoughts. He loomed over the crystal with a dark expression. Suddenly, his face contorted with rage, and he grabbed the stand under the crystal.

"What do you mean, 'You light up my life'? Give me a break! Graaa!" Sho cried. He threw the stand, crystal and all, across the room, sending it crashing into a vase of flowers.

"What are you doing?" Shoko cried, aghast. Water rained down onto the floor and glass pummelled the gray stone with a steady plink-plink. The crystal ball lay in a heap of milky-white shards under the remants of the table the vase had stood on.

Sho did not attend. He stomped about the room, crushing shards of glass under his heavy boots and shouting to no one in particular, "Who do you think you are, telling her she's 'magical'! How can you get away with a corny line like that!"

"The glass, Sho!" Shoko protested, but the Witch ignored her.

Spotting the broom he had used earlier, Sho grabbed it and spun around to face the window. His eyes were ablaze.

"I'll fix that girl for good..." he grumbled. He climbed onto the window frame, crying, "To the Emerald City, fast as lightning!"

The Witch dove out the window, cackling, and was soon airborne on an updraft. Shoko was left to stare at the empty sky.

"I didn't know he could laugh like that..."

* * *

Any chapter with Sho and Shoko is automatically 10% more fun to write. Though I do have a bit of trouble keeping their names straight...  
New chapter soon? Why, maybe if the gods favor you, children. Or if I get some caffeine tomorrow...


	12. Into the Sun

New...chapter...*is dead*

* * *

**Chapter Twelve - Into the Sun**

Sho did not reach the Emerald City as fast as lightning, which was probably for the best.

Kyoko sat in the poppies, staring up into the clouds where Kanae's voice had been booming from just a few minutes earlier. Behind her, the lion, the tin man, and the scarecrow watched with concern.

"What should we do?" Ogata asked Yashiro nervously. The tin man glanced at Ren. The scarecrow did not return the look, but walked over to the girl still sitting in the flowers.

"Mogami-san, we should keep moving," Ren said calmly. He held a hand out to assist her.

"All right..." Kyoko said listlessly. She stood up without help and dusted herself off. Ren withdrew his hand without a word, but stood by the girl as she collected herself. They quietly walked to where the others were waiting. Kyoko seemed subdued; Ren's expression was grim.

_Flowers don't just appear, _Ren thought. _Who's behind this? Was it that witch?_

Thinking about Sho made Ren feel frustrated. He was silent as the group started on their way once more, thinking about their encounter with the Witch and the ominous words he had left behind.

_What did he mean, 'Good luck with the Wizard'?_ Ren thought.

Meanwhile, Yashiro and Ogata were doing their best to raise Kyoko's spirits.

"Your friend must like you a lot if she was so upset to see you with someone else," Yashiro was saying, a bright, cheerful smile on his face.

"That's how it usually goes," Ogata added, his tail between his paws again.

"Really?" Kyoko asked, looking at the tin man.

Seeing a glimmer of hope in her expression, Yashiro nodded enthusiastically and went on, "Of course! Lots of people get moody when they're jealous of somebody else!" Yashiro said. He could not help but think of Ren as he spoke. He cast a glance at the scarecrow, who was walking apart from the others. Kyoko and Ogata looked that way also, not sure what Yashiro was staring at.

Ren could feel them looking his way. He stared fixedly ahead and paid the other three no notice.

Yashiro felt disappointed. He made a face. Had Ren really not heard him?

But then the tin man was struck by an idea. A wonderful, awful idea. His face spread in a grin. He leaned close to Kyoko and whispered just loud enough for Ren to hear, "Kyoko-chan, doesn't Ren seem a little out of sorts?"

Ren looked up, staring suspiciously at the tin man.

"Eh?" Kyoko said. The lion looked at the others, confused.

Kyoko glanced in the scarecrow's direction. Ren quickly turned away. Surprised, Kyoko looked back at Yashiro.

"You think so?" she asked.

Yashiro nodded furiously, his face a picture of benevolent concern. Behind him, Ogata frowned and tugged at his tail, looking very much like he wanted to ask what was going on, but too interested in the proceedings to risk an interruption.

"See the way he won't look at any of us? It's like he's upset about something," Yashiro whispered suggestively. Hearing this, Ren steeled himself against the inevitable torment.

_Who is he supposed to be helping?_ Ren thought.

Kyoko looked at the scarecrow again. He pretended he didn't see her looking. It was very hard when she peered at him with that anxious expression.

Frowning, Kyoko carefully examined Ren's features. He was always composed, but something seemed wrong. There was a certain set in his jaw, a subtle furrow in his brow, a slight narrowing of his eyes...and, as she watched, a sudden quirk about his mouth.

It was all Ren could do to keep a straight face. To his relief, Kyoko soon turned away and asked Yashiro nervously, "What do you think could be wrong?"

The tin man was carefully considering what to say next.

"Well, I can't be sure, but..." Yashiro said vaguely. The girl and the lion watched him with rapt attention.

"What is it, Yashiro-san?" Kyoko asked anxiously.

"I think it's the way you said there was no meaning behind your meeting earlier, Kyoko-chan," Yashiro whispered, this time too low for anyone but Kyoko and himself to hear. He looked at the girl and saw she was staring at him in horror. Satisfied that his words had had an impact, the tin man went on, "He probably thinks you don't appreciate him."

Kyoko whipped around to look at the scarecrow. This time she caught Ren looking her way. Ren had just enough time to cast a stern glance at the tin man before he was forced to meet Kyoko's eye.

"Yes, Mogami-san?" Ren said, forcing himself to sound calm.

"Tsu-" Kyoko began, but she stopped.

"Whatever you have to say, it can't be anything too horrible, Mogami-san," Ren said encouragingly.

Kyoko looked at him for a moment with an earnest expression. Wondering what it could mean, Ren waited for her reply. Behind Kyoko, the tin man and the lion were watching with interest.

Finally, Kyoko said, "I realized just now...Yashiro-san said...when I said before, about us meeting at random..." Kyoko faltered, not hearing the sound of Ren's heart cracking. Fortunately, she continued, "When I said that, it was very inconsiderate of me. You've come all this way just to help me, and for me to say something so...so..."

"There's no need to be so hard on yourself," Ren interrupted. "It was a random meeting, as you said. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

He smiled very warmly at her then. Kyoko looked at him and felt heat rise in her face. Yashiro and Ogata, looking on, were also affected.

"What are they saying?" Ogata asked shyly, holding his tail in front of his face. Yashiro said nothing; this was more than he had hoped for.

"Of course not!" Kyoko said. "I'm very lucky to have met all of you!"

"So there's nothing to apologize for," Ren said. He glanced over Kyoko's head and saw the lion and the tin man quickly begin to act as if they hadn't been listening. He ignored them and turned back to Kyoko.

"I couldn't have gotten this far without you, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko said quietly. "I'm very glad to have met you."

Ren heard her and was silent. He felt so light that he thought he might fly away on the breeze. Feeling self-conscious, he looked away down the road and caught sight of something.

"Mogami-san, look," Ren said.

Kyoko, as well as Yashiro and Ogata, glanced to where Ren was looking.

"Ah!" Kyoko cried.

There on the horizon stood an outcrop of shimmering green towers. The spires glittered in the sun and cast an emerald haze over the land below them.

"Is it the Emerald City?" Kyoko asked excitedly.

Before anyone could answer, there arose voices, like a chorus, from nowhere:

_You're out of the woods _  
_You're out of the dark _  
_You're out of the night_

Everyone looked around, puzzled. The voices went on:

_Step into the sun _  
_Step into the light _  
_Keep straight ahead for..._

A sudden burst of light, like the first rays of sunrise, rose and made a halo around the distant towers.

_...The most glorious place!_

The voices faded, but the light remained. The group stared at the display.

"What was that?" Yashiro asked.

The others looked at him.

"A greeting of some sort?" Ogata suggested.

"Kind of flashy...what kind of person would think up a thing like that?"

They looked at Ren, who was watching the light bounce dazzlingly off the towers with an expression that showed he was not impressed. Realizing they were staring at him, Ren turned and addressed them:

"Is this a good idea after all?" the scarecrow asked somberly. "We can't turn back after this."

The trio before him pondered his words, but no one seemed to know quite what to think. The boys looked at Kyoko. She did not notice them; she was lost in her thoughts, her face drawn.

Suddenly, a change came over the girl. She turned to the others.

"No matter how weird it is, I have to go! If Moko-san's still watching, I can't let her down!" Kyoko said with fervor.

They stared at her. Kyoko watched them, her excitement clear in her eyes. There was something infectious in her look. The boys glanced at each other, looking sheepish, and then turned to Kyoko.

"Well, if you're sure, there's no doubt we'll come with you," Yashiro said.

They set off once more. Kyoko was determined, Ogata somewhat scared, Yashiro curious, and Ren a little concerned about what they were walking into.

When he looked at Kyoko, however, he felt his anxieties lessen. Her expression was fierce, but there was something happy in it, too. He recognized the enthusiasm that overtook her whenever she met with some new difficulty. Anyone looking at her could not help but feel excited too.

He recalled her words from earlier, and the shy way she'd said them.

_I couldn't have gotten this far without you, Tsuruga-san. I'm very glad to have met you._

He turned to look down the road, his heart soaring, and felt that he could take on any manner of witches, wizards, and stalker trees if it meant he could stay by her side.

* * *

Sorry for the delay! The normal life-is-busy, something-came-up excuses apply, but I'm glad to say I'll have enough time to work on my stories now. The good news about the long wait is that I have the next few chapters almost ready to post.  
I felt Ren needed a bit of a boost. I may have been a little too hard on him in the previous chapters, what with lighting him on fire and everything else. It's just so fun to mess with him..  
Thanks for waiting for this chapter! More updates soon!


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